Spring Wildfires in Gyeonggi-do Decreased by 39% This Year

Agricultural Residue Shredding Work to Prevent Wildfire Occurrence

Wildfires in the Gyeonggi region this spring have decreased by more than 30% compared to the same period last year.

Gyeonggi Province announced on the 24th that during the '2024 Spring Wildfire Prevention Period' from February 1 to May 15, the number of wildfires decreased by 39% compared to the same period last year.

This spring, a total of 56 wildfires occurred in the province, with a damage area of 18.14 hectares. This is a significant decrease compared to last year's 92 wildfires and 97.36 hectares of damage.

During this year's wildfire prevention period, Gyeonggi Province operated wildfire prevention task forces in 33 locations, maintaining cooperation systems with cities and counties, and collaborating with related agencies such as fire departments and police to prepare for wildfire disasters.

Additionally, 12 mobile patrol teams were organized to monitor and crack down on burning activities near forests and major hiking trails in 31 cities and counties. To reduce the burning of agricultural waste, the agricultural department cooperated to intensively promote the collection and shredding of agricultural by-products.

Furthermore, the province ran the 'Gyeonggi Province Wildfire Prevention Promotional Video' on 8,000 G-buses, 59 large supermarkets, and 2,000 elevators to raise awareness among residents about the dangers of wildfires.

To reduce damage in the event of a wildfire, firefighting personnel such as specialized wildfire prevention and suppression teams were promptly deployed, and leased helicopters for wildfire suppression from neighboring cities and counties were actively supported.

Seok Yong-hwan, Director of the Gyeonggi Province Forest and Greenery Division, explained, "The decrease in the number of wildfire occurrences and damage area is partly due to frequent rainfall in spring lowering wildfire risk, but it is also the result of efforts by Gyeonggi Province and each city and county to prevent and respond to wildfires."