Wildfire site in Hallim-myeon, Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam Province. Video provided by Korea Forest Service
The wildfire that broke out on the afternoon of the 22nd at 2:03 PM in a mountain area in Hallim-myeon, Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam, is nearing complete containment on the night of the 24th, its third day.
According to the forestry authorities, as of 8 PM on this day, the containment rate had reached 99%.
The containment rate, which had risen to 96% as of 6 PM the previous day, remained at 95% after sunset due to the withdrawal of helicopters and the influence of winds.
However, as daylight returned, helicopters, reorganized personnel, and equipment were deployed, and the wind subsided somewhat, allowing the firefighting efforts to accelerate.
At the site, the second stage of wildfire response, which was issued from 7 AM the previous day, remains in effect, with 461 firefighting personnel and 49 vehicles mobilized for the final all-out effort to extinguish the fire.
The area affected by the wildfire is currently estimated at 97 hectares, with a total fire line of 6 kilometers and about 0.06 kilometers of active fire remaining.
In the vicinity of the fire, a southwesterly wind is blowing at a maximum speed of 2.5 to 8 meters per second, with a temperature of 15.8 degrees Celsius and humidity at 62%.
As the firefighting operation nears its end, 23 residents from 15 households in nearby villages who had evacuated have returned to their homes.
The Gyeongnam provincial government and forestry authorities plan to mobilize all available firefighting resources to complete the main containment of the fire.
In addition, since the fire is believed to have started from burning trash and spread into a wildfire, they plan to investigate the exact cause and extent of the damage as soon as all flames are extinguished.
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