Wildfire in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Burns 15ha of Forest, Extinguished in 9 Hours

All Evacuated Residents Return Home... No Casualties Reported

The fire that broke out on the night of the 18th in the hills of Singiri, Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon Province, was extinguished about 9 hours later as the main fire was brought under control.

The Korea Forest Service and fire authorities announced on the 19th, "We deployed 32 pieces of equipment, including wildfire suppression helicopters, and 364 personnel such as special wildfire disaster suppression teams. The main fire was contained around 1:30 a.m., and all remaining embers have now been extinguished."

Pyeongchang-gun Jinbu-myeon Singi-ri wildfire site
[Photo by Gangwon Fire Headquarters]

The wildfire destroyed 15 hectares of forest, but there were no casualties. Seven nearby residents temporarily evacuated to the Singiri village hall but all returned home the previous day.

The Korea Forest Service reported, "On the night of the fire, winds reached a maximum instantaneous speed of 8 m/s, and the steep slopes and rocky terrain made suppression efforts difficult."

The forestry authorities had issued a Level 1 wildfire alert at 6:30 p.m. on the 18th, which is declared when the expected damage area is less than 30 hectares and the suppression time is expected to be under 8 hours.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, which is presumed to have started during the reprocessing of a wood-fired boiler.