Uiseong Wildfire Containment Rate Surpasses 51%... 4,050ha Damaged, Full-Scale Efforts Underway

Faster Containment as Winds Weaken
All Helicopters and Personnel Mobilized

The large-scale wildfire that broke out in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province, has continued for a second day, but thanks to the full-scale efforts of the forestry authorities, the containment rate has risen to 51%.

Forest fire containment rate in Uiseong surpasses 51%... 4,050ha damaged, full effort on suppression. Photo by Byunggeon Kwon

According to the Korea Forest Service on the 23rd, as of 1 p.m. that day, the containment rate of the Uiseong wildfire had surpassed half.

So far, the affected area has reached 4,050 hectares, and out of a total fire line of 68 kilometers, the flames have been brought under control along 34.4 kilometers. Firefighting efforts are ongoing along the remaining 33.6 kilometers. The containment rate rose rapidly from 4.8% at 7 a.m. to 20% at 10 a.m., and 30% at 11 a.m.

Winds at the wildfire site are currently reaching up to 3 meters per second. Compared to the strong winds of up to 16 meters per second the previous day, the conditions are now more favorable for firefighting. Accordingly, the forestry authorities have deployed 52 helicopters, 3,777 personnel, and 453 firefighting vehicles in a full-scale response.

This wildfire started at around 11:25 a.m. the previous day at the summit of a hill in Goesan-ri, Anpyeong-myeon, Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province.

As the fire rapidly spread eastward toward Uiseong-eup due to strong winds, authorities issued a Level 3 wildfire response and raised the response level. As a result, 392 residents from nearby areas were urgently evacuated to facilities such as the Uiseong-eup Indoor Gymnasium.

There are major transmission towers within the wildfire area, raising concerns about possible damage. North Gyeongsang Province announced during a briefing that morning that some transmission towers had been temporarily disconnected as a precaution.

A representative of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters of the Korea Forest Service stated, "We are mobilizing all available resources to focus on extinguishing the main fire," and emphasized, "We will do our utmost to prevent any further damage."