Fire at Manisan, Ganghwa Island, Incheon... Level 2 Response Issued Over 'National Treasure Damage Concerns'

On the 26th at around 2:44 PM, a fire broke out near Manisan in Dongmak-ri, Hwado-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon.

So far, no casualties have been confirmed from the fire, but as the flames spread up to the 4th ridge of Manisan, the fire authorities have deployed 126 firefighters and 49 pieces of equipment, including fire helicopters, to extinguish the fire.

The fire authorities raised the response level to Level 1 at around 3:24 PM, 40 minutes after the fire started, and then to Level 2 about 40 minutes later to continue firefighting efforts.

Response Level 1 involves the full deployment of personnel from the jurisdictional fire station, while Response Level 2 is an alert that mobilizes personnel and equipment from 5 to 6 neighboring fire stations.

A fire official stated, "The flames have spread up to the 4th ridge of Manisan," adding, "We raised the response level to prevent the fire from spreading to Jeongsusa Temple, which holds a nationally designated treasure, and surrounding facilities."

At around 2:44 PM on the 26th, a fire broke out near Manisan in Dongmak-ri, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon. The fire department has issued a "Response Level 2" alert and is conducting firefighting operations.
[Photo by Incheon Fire Headquarters]

The forestry authorities also issued a 'Forest Fire Level 1' alert at around 4:30 PM, about 1 hour and 40 minutes after the fire started, deploying 10 forest firefighting helicopters, 26 pieces of equipment, and 500 forest firefighting personnel to extinguish the fire.

Forest Fire Level 1 is issued when the average wind speed at the fire site is between 2 to 4 meters per second and the expected damage area is between 10 to 30 hectares.

Currently, strong winds with a maximum instantaneous speed of 11 meters per second are blowing at the wildfire site. A dry weather advisory has also been in effect in Ganghwa-do since 10:30 AM that day.