As of 5 a.m., 18 Dead from Wildfire
Victims Found in Homes and Vehicles During Evacuation
Fire Spreads to Andong, Puts Cultural Heritage on Alert
Large-Scale Wildfires Increasing Beyond Gangwon Due to Climate Change
"They say the entire village burned down, but I don't know what happened to my house."
Mr. Jo, in his 60s, living in Jinbo-myeon, Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk, drove toward his home as soon as the sun rose on the morning of the 26th, unable to think about meals. He had hurriedly evacuated to Yeongdeok-gun the previous afternoon upon hearing that the wildfire was approaching near the village. He said, "The wildfire covered all of Cheongsong, and there was nowhere nearby to take shelter." On the way back to his home in Cheongsong, large flames had passed, but embers remained here and there, ready to flare up again at any moment. Hearing the news that three people had died in Cheongsong-gun due to this wildfire made him even more heartbroken.
Monster Wildfire, Rapid Increase in Casualties
The human toll from the wildfire continues to grow. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of 5 a.m. on the 22nd, the wildfire that started in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, and spread to four cities and counties including Andong, had resulted in 14 deaths. Following the deaths of four public officials and firefighters suppressing the wildfire in Sancheong, Gyeongnam, a total of 18 people have died from this massive wildfire. It is truly a national disaster situation. Since the wildfire has not been fully contained, additional casualties may occur.
The exact circumstances of the deaths are under investigation, but most are believed to have suffocated or suffered accidents while evacuating from the rapidly spreading wildfire. On the 25th, strong winds of 10 to 20 meters per second blew across the Uiseong area. The speed of the fire's spread increased, and ash and smoke obstructed visibility, likely making movement difficult. In Yeongyang-gun, a family of three in their 50s and 60s were involved in an overturn accident while evacuating by car. In Cheongsong-gun, two elderly people in their 70s and 80s were found dead at their homes. Some of the deceased in Yeongdeok-gun were residents of a silver town; three people died when their vehicle exploded due to the wildfire while evacuating by car.
1300-Year-Old Temple Burned Down, Hahoe Village Threatened... Cultural Heritage at Risk
The fire is threatening cultural heritage as well. When the fire spread to Andong, which has many important cultural assets, the National Heritage Agency issued a 'Severe' level national heritage disaster crisis alert for the first time ever. The World Cultural Heritage site Hahoe Village and Byeongsan Seowon endured a 'high alert state' overnight. On the afternoon of the 25th, the wildfire came as close as 10 km in a straight line to Hahoe Village. The village could see the red glow from afar. Ten fire trucks and about 50 firefighters were on standby in Hahoe Village to prepare for wildfire spread. Four fire trucks were also on standby at Byeongsan Seowon, where water was sprayed around the premises in advance. The Byeongsan Seowon signboard was preemptively moved to the World Confucianism Museum. Currently, the wildfire near Hahoe Village is no longer approaching, and the critical phase has passed.
The 'millennium-old temple' Gounsa in Uiseong, founded by the Silla monk Uisang, suffered direct damage as embers spread to its buildings. The Gaunru and Yeonsujeon buildings are nationally designated cultural treasures. About 30 temple buildings, including Gaunru and Yeonsujeon, were destroyed by this wildfire.
Prolonged Wildfire... ‘People’ Are Getting Exhausted
As of 5 a.m. that day, the wildfire-affected area had expanded to 17,534 hectares, increasing by about 5,000 hectares in one day. This is equivalent to the size of about 24,000 soccer fields directly or indirectly damaged by the wildfire. The containment rates are ▲Sancheong and Hadong 80% ▲Uiseong and Andong 68% ▲Ulju Onyang 92%. A total of 27,079 residents have evacuated, and 209 buildings were destroyed in Sancheong and Uiseong alone.
The wildfire in Uljin, Gyeongbuk, and Samcheok, Gangwon, recorded as the longest in South Korea in March 2022, lasted 213 hours before rain helped extinguish the main fire. Although the Fire Agency has issued a national fire mobilization order and deployed firefighting personnel nationwide to suppress the wildfire, full containment is still a long way off.
Firefighters are becoming exhausted. On the 25th in Ulju, two firefighters were injured by falling trees during suppression work, and a firefighter in his 40s was urgently transported to the hospital due to dizziness and vomiting. A total of 4,919 firefighting personnel were deployed to the Uiseong and Andong wildfires, and 1,948 to the Sancheong and Hadong wildfires. Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Chief Go Kidong urged, "Please pay special attention to the safety management of the firefighting personnel who are doing their best to suppress the wildfire on site."
The frequent occurrence of 'mega wildfires' is due to climate change. Large wildfires in Korea have mainly occurred in Gangwon Province. In spring, the fast and dry winds (Yangganjipung) blowing between Yangyang and Ganseong in Gangwon often increased the scale of fires. However, due to climate change, fluctuating temperatures, humidity, and winds are creating conditions that cause wildfires in unexpected regions. Professor Lee Yongjae of the Fire Safety Management Department at Kyungmin University said, "As the climate fluctuates and locally dry conditions persist, large wildfires are explosively increasing compared to the past."
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