Fire Containment Rate Exceeds 63% in Hadong, Gyeongnam... Morning Extinguishing Target Set

Wildfire Occurs on the 11th in Jirisan National Park, Hwagae-myeon, Hadong-gun

Forest authorities are working hard to extinguish a wildfire that broke out in the Jirisan National Park area of Hwagae-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. As of 7 a.m. on the 12th, the fire containment rate stands at 63%.

The Korea Forest Service Central Fire Prevention Headquarters deployed 28 helicopters for aerial firefighting operations starting at 6:46 a.m., coinciding with sunrise. Although rain is forecasted, which could aid natural extinguishing, the goal is to control the wildfire within the morning since helicopter deployment may be challenging. Additionally, 699 firefighting personnel who had withdrawn the previous day were redeployed to the site.

Smoke rising from a wildfire that occurred in Hwagae-myeon, Hadong-gun, Gyeongnam / Photo by Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters

The wildfire occurred in the area of San 203-2, Daeseong-ri, Hwagae-myeon, within the Jirisan National Park zone. The fire, which started around 1:19 p.m. the previous day, shows a containment rate of 63% as of 7 a.m. today. The containment rate dropped from the 70% range overnight due to a reduction in firefighting personnel. The affected area covers 81 hectares.

So far, there has been one casualty. A 64-year-old member of the wildfire prevention and firefighting team from Jinju City collapsed with cardiac arrest symptoms at 10:04 p.m. the previous day during firefighting efforts. Despite emergency measures including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and being transported to a hospital, the individual passed away. The Korea Forest Service evacuated 74 nearby residents to village halls and other safe locations to prevent civilian casualties.

Meanwhile, another wildfire broke out at 3:56 a.m. on the same day in the area of 1740-68 Witae-ri, Okjong-myeon, Hadong-gun. This fire was separate from the one in Hwagae-myeon, and the Korea Forest Service extinguished it by 5:37 a.m., about two hours later. To suppress this fire, 45 firefighting personnel and 12 pieces of firefighting equipment were deployed.