'Forest Area Equivalent to 4,600 Soccer Fields' Burned Simultaneously... 10 Casualties Reported

Ten Casualties in Sancheong
Four Confirmed Dead

Simultaneous wildfires broke out across the country, causing significant damage in Sancheong, Gyeongnam; Uiseong, Gyeongbuk; and Ulju, Ulsan. The area of forest burned is estimated to be equivalent to about 4,600 soccer fields.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters situation report as of 8 a.m. on the 23rd, four people lost their lives due to the simultaneous wildfires that started in Sancheong-gun on the 21st. Five people were seriously injured, and one person sustained minor injuries. All casualties occurred in Sancheong. Housing damage was also severe, with 10 houses completely burned down in Sancheong. In Uiseong, 24 houses were completely destroyed, and 5 houses suffered partial fire damage.

A wildfire that broke out on the 22nd in Gwaesan-ri, Anpyeong-myeon, Uiseong-gun, Gyeongbuk Province is rapidly spreading. Yonhap News

Forest damage is also extensive, with 3,286.11 hectares burned so far. In terms of scale, this is roughly equivalent to about 4,600 soccer fields. By region, the burned areas are 1,802 hectares in Uiseong, 1,329 hectares in Sancheong, 85 hectares in Ulju, and 70.11 hectares in Gimhae, Gyeongnam.

Regarding resident evacuation, a total of 1,514 people were dispersed to nearby temporary shelters: 951 in Uiseong, 335 in Sancheong, 80 in Ulju, and 148 in Gimhae. In Sancheong, the wildfire approached the Korean Seonbi Culture Research Institute, which had been operating as a temporary shelter, prompting residents there to relocate to eight nearby temporary shelters.

In Uiseong, residents from 32 villages in wildfire risk areas moved to 15 evacuation centers. All patients from two nursing hospitals and one nursing home were also evacuated. In Ulju-gun, Onyang-eup, residents of four villages (89 households) dispersed to four evacuation centers, and 98 households from Najon-ri village in Gimhae City moved to two nearby evacuation centers.

As of 8 a.m. on the day, firefighting efforts are still ongoing in the four locations of Sancheong, Uiseong, Ulju, and Gimhae. Since the 21st, 99 helicopters and 4,875 personnel, including firefighters, have been mobilized to combat the simultaneous wildfires.