40 Wildfires from May to September Include 6 'Omul Pungseon'
Autumn Expected to Have Low Rainfall and Dry Conditions
As the risk of forest fires increases during the dry autumn season, fires caused by North Korean waste balloons have also occurred, prompting the government to enter a state of preparedness.
On the 18th, Lee Han-kyung, Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, held the "Autumn Forest Fire Prevention Related Agencies Countermeasure Meeting." The meeting was attended by 25 agencies, including the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Korea Forest Service, National Fire Agency, and local governments.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, a "meteorological drought" characterized by below-average rainfall and prolonged dry conditions is expected in some areas of Gyeongbuk until the end of December. Rainfall from November to December is also forecasted to be generally lower than normal.
At the meeting, each agency reviewed the forest fire prevention system ahead of the autumn forest fire caution period (November 1 to December 15). In particular, since the possibility of forest fires has increased due to the release of waste balloons by North Korea, countermeasures were intensively examined. From the end of May this year to the 27th of last month, a total of 40 forest fires occurred, of which 6 are estimated to be related to waste balloons.
The Korea Forest Service, together with the Ministry of National Defense, is keeping firefighting resources such as fire suppression teams, vehicles, and helicopters on emergency standby, focusing on areas with a high probability of waste balloon fall, and maintaining a situation management system. The Ministry of National Defense has decided to strengthen forest fire monitoring and cooperation with related agencies to prepare for large-scale forest fires within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
In addition, during this year's forest fire caution period, related agencies will cooperate to strengthen the forest fire disaster preparedness system by sharing situation information, conducting forest fire surveillance activities, and establishing an initial response posture to prevent large-scale forest fires.
Director Lee stated, "Since the risk of forest fires is high in autumn, we will strengthen surveillance activities to prepare for any possible forest fires and make every effort to minimize damage by mobilizing all available resources in the event of a fire."
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