Natural Extinguishing of Flames at Bului Jeongwon, Residual Gas Emission Trends Observed
City: "Will Gather Public Opinion and Consider Alternatives for Bului Jeongwon"
Pohang City announced that the natural gas flame at the "Garden of Fire," a famous site in Cheolgil Forest, was extinguished on the 27th after 7 years, 6 months, and 20 days.
The natural gas flame of the Fire Garden in Pohang Railroad Forest went out after 7 years and 6 months.
The Garden of Fire was created on March 8, 2017, when a flame ignited by natural gas erupted from about 200 meters underground during groundwater well drilling as part of the urban forest development on the former railway site.
When a pillar of fire caused by natural gas shot up at the Pohang Cheolgil Forest construction site, Pohang City, Pohang Nambu Fire Station, and Korea Gas Safety Corporation attempted to extinguish it. However, after consulting experts, they decided it was best to let it burn out naturally. To make use of it as a new attraction until the flame went out, the current "Garden of Fire" was established and has remained until now.
The Garden of Fire preserves the excavator and site around the flame, with a 2-meter-high fireproof glass installed in the surrounding area. Information boards detailing the gas eruption process and nighttime landscape lighting were also added, creating a unique space rarely seen in Korea.
In September 2017, Pohang City commissioned the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources and the Petroleum and Gas Research Center to study the natural gas layer at Pohang Cheolgil Forest. The results estimated that about 22,113 tons of methane gas, enough to supply Pohang citizens for one month, was stored in the sandstone layer beneath the Garden of Fire, and that the gas would erupt for 5 to 10 years before being depleted.
Since January 2021, as temperatures dropped, the flame was intermittently extinguished and reignited. To address this, an automatic ignition device was installed to automatically reignite the flame if residual natural gas was present, even after the flame went out.
To address the disappointment of citizens over the extinguishing of the Garden of Fire flame, which had long been a landmark of Pohang Cheolgil Forest, the city is monitoring the remaining gas emissions and considering various alternative uses for the Garden of Fire once all the gas is depleted.
A Pohang City official stated, "It is very regrettable that the flame at the Garden of Fire in Cheolgil Forest, which has received so much attention and love from citizens, has gone out. Although only a small amount of gas is still being emitted, we believe there is some remaining reserve and are carefully monitoring the situation. In the future, we will gather citizens' opinions and consider various ways to represent the flame in different forms."
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