Large Fire During Grave Clearing, Welding, and Ancestral Rites... Spreads Widely Due to Strong Winds and Dry Weather (Comprehensive)

Simultaneous Wildfires Break Out Across the Country Over the Weekend

The cause of the large-scale wildfires spreading across the country has been tentatively identified as all being due to arson.

According to forestry authorities on the 23rd, the fire that broke out on a hill in Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam at 3:26 p.m. on the 21st is still ongoing on the third day.

As of 1 p.m. on the same day, the wildfire containment rate in Sicheon-myeon is about 65%, with the affected area covering 1,362 hectares and the total fire line stretching 42 km. Of this, 15 km is currently being extinguished, and 27 km has been contained.

According to the police and others, the fire is presumed to have started when sparks flew from a brush cutter operated by Mr. A, who runs a nearby farm, while removing weeds.

The cause of the large wildfire that occurred on the 22nd in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, was also identified as arson by visitors paying respects at ancestral graves. Authorities have issued a level 3 wildfire response, mobilizing 3,777 personnel and 453 firefighting vehicles to combat the fire, but firefighting efforts are still ongoing along 32 km of the total 68 km fire line.

The cause of the wildfire in Onyang-eup, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, which displaced more than 800 people, is also presumed to have started from a welding operation in a farm shack. When the fire broke out on a hill in Unhwa-ri, Onyang-eup at 12:12 p.m. on the 22nd, authorities issued a level 3 wildfire alert and deployed 12 helicopters, 70 firefighting vehicles, and 2,331 personnel to extinguish the main fire.

The wildfire-affected area expected to be damaged is 180 hectares. Of the total 13.4 km fire line, 4.02 km is still being extinguished. Due to this fire, 867 residents from six nearby villages (Yangdal, Singi, Junggwang, Naegwang, Oegwang, and Gwiji) have been evacuated.

If the large wildfires that occurred in Sancheong, Gyeongnam; Uiseong, Gyeongbuk; and Ulju, Ulsan are confirmed to be arson after investigation by authorities, the arsonists will be punished under the Forest Protection Act.

However, there is a limitation in that most cases involving negligence rather than intentional arson, first-time offenders, or elderly individuals receive relatively light penalties.