Fire Suspected in Storage of Gutdang Performing Gut Ritual
Religious Ceremony Reportedly Did Not Take Place
A fire broke out on Manisan Mountain in Ganghwa-do, Incheon, with the initial ignition point reported to be the storage room of a shaman's gutdang (ritual house). Fire authorities plan to deploy 11 helicopters again and make every effort to suppress the fire.
According to the Central Forest Fire Prevention Headquarters of the Korea Forest Service on the 27th, a forest fire occurred on Manisan Mountain in Dongmak-ri, Hwado-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, Incheon, at around 2:44 PM the previous day.
It is estimated that the fire initially started at a house near the entrance of Manisan Mountain, and upon investigation, the house was confirmed to be the storage room of a gutdang, a space where a shaman performs rituals.
A scene from the movie 'Gokseong'
A gutdang official reportedly told the police that no religious ceremonies were held at the gutdang that day and that they did not know why the fire occurred.
A police official stated that no signs of arson or other criminal suspicions were found, and fire and forest authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire.
Fire authorities believe that the flames, which started at the gutdang, spread widely to the Manisan area, driven by strong winds blowing at 11 meters per second.
Approximately 22 hectares of forest, equivalent to about 30 soccer fields, were burned or scorched, but the flames did not spread to Jeongsusa Temple, which holds a nationally designated treasure, or its surroundings.
Additionally, due to the fire, eight residents temporarily evacuated to the village hall and other locations, but they are currently reported to have returned home safely.
Meanwhile, forest authorities, having faced difficulties in firefighting during the night, deployed 11 helicopters at dawn, along with about 40 firefighting vehicles and approximately 1,400 firefighters, making every effort to extinguish the fire.
As of around 8 AM, the containment rate is estimated to be over 90%. Fire authorities expect to completely extinguish the main fire by mid-morning as the wind has significantly subsided.
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