At around 2:44 PM on the 26th, the fire that broke out on Manisan Mountain in Ganghwa-do, Incheon, showed little sign of being contained, prompting the forestry authorities to switch to a nighttime firefighting system.
According to the Central Wildfire Prevention Headquarters of the Korea Forest Service, as of 9 PM on the same day, firefighting efforts are still ongoing for the wildfire that occurred in Dongmak-ri, Hwado-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon. No casualties have been confirmed so far, but it is estimated that over 190,000 square meters of forest have been affected by the fire. Fortunately, the flames have not spread to Jeongsusa Temple on Manisan, which holds nationally designated treasures such as the Dharma Hall, nor to the surrounding facilities.
At 7 PM, the forestry authorities switched to a nighttime response system and established defensive lines to prevent the wildfire from spreading to nearby homes and key facilities. Since helicopter operations are difficult at night, the 14 firefighting helicopters that had been deployed were withdrawn to nearby hangars. The authorities plan to use drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras to continue firefighting efforts.
The forestry authorities believe the fire started at a house located at the foot of Manisan. They plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire after the wildfire is extinguished.
Kim Seong-ho, Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, instructed, "Deploy all available resources quickly and to the maximum extent to minimize damage," and added, "Thoroughly establish firebreaks to prevent damage to residential areas, and ensure residents in areas at risk of spread evacuate in advance."
Earlier, at around 4:30 PM, the authorities issued a 'Wildfire Level 1' alert and deployed 41 pieces of equipment including helicopters and fire trucks, along with 856 wildfire suppression personnel to combat the fire. The Wildfire Level 1 alert is issued when the average wind speed at the wildfire site is between 2 to 4 meters per second or higher, and the expected damage area is between 10 to 30 hectares.
The fire department also issued a 'Response Level 1' alert at around 3:24 PM, and about 40 minutes later raised the alarm to Level 2 to intensify firefighting efforts.
However, firefighting efforts were hampered by strong winds reaching a maximum instantaneous speed of 11 meters per second at the wildfire site, as well as a dry weather advisory in effect across the Ganghwa-do area. As of 7 PM, the wildfire containment rate stands at 60%.
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