Wildfire That Started in Sancheong Eventually Spreads to Jirisan (Comprehensive)

The wildfire that started in Sancheong, Gyeongnam has finally begun to spread into Jirisan National Park.

As the wildfire that spread from Sancheong to Hadong continues for the sixth day, strong winds have pushed the flames to within 200 meters of Jirisan National Park.

A Korea Forest Service helicopter is extinguishing a forest fire in Sancheong. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

According to the Jirisan National Park Gyeongnam Office and Yonhap News on the 26th, the wildfire has reached about 200 meters from the boundary of Jirisan National Park.

The Gyeongnam provincial government has requested helicopters from nearby local governments such as Jeonbuk and Jeonnam to prevent the fire from penetrating into Jirisan National Park.

Employees of Jirisan National Park have also been mobilized for the firefighting efforts.

An official from the Jirisan National Park Gyeongnam Office said, "The fire has spread close by, so all staff are currently out in the field helping with the firefighting. We will have to monitor the situation to see if the fire spreads further from here."

Earlier, Park Myungkyun, Vice Governor for Administrative Affairs of Gyeongnam Province, held a briefing at the Sancheong-gun Danseong-myeon wildfire unified command center in the morning and said, "Significant progress has been made by deploying aerial and special firefighting teams overnight to build firebreaks and focus on extinguishing the fire to prevent it from spreading into the Jirisan area."

He added, "Today, we will fully mobilize ground and aerial firefighting teams to focus on extinguishing the fire in the Hadong area. In addition, we will work to clear any remaining embers in areas where the fire has been put out to prevent reignition."

Regarding the spread of the wildfire near Jirisan National Park, he explained, "We have requested helicopters from neighboring local governments such as Jeonbuk and Jeonnam and have deployed them. Since thick layers of fallen leaves in the mountains can make it difficult to fully extinguish embers, all national park personnel are out in the field assisting with the firefighting."

On the weather conditions, he said, "Today is a bit better than yesterday, especially as the wind has calmed down considerably. Although the maximum wind speed is still high, we are taking that into account in our firefighting efforts."

As of 6 a.m. today, the wildfire containment rate in Sancheong and Hadong was reported to be 80%.

The forestry authorities are continuing firefighting operations with 30 helicopters, 1,720 personnel, and 218 vehicles.

The wildfire-affected area is 1,685 hectares, with a total fire line of about 63 km, of which 12.5 km remain.

One firefighter among the 30-person team dispatched for nighttime firefighting in the early morning was injured after falling, adding one more casualty.

As a result, the number of casualties has increased to 4 deaths and 9 people with serious or minor injuries.

A total of 1,732 residents from 1,025 households in Sancheong, Hadong, Jinju, and other areas have evacuated to 20 locations, including Danseong Middle School, Okjong Elementary School, and Jinseo High School.

Additionally, 64 structures, including 16 houses, 2 factories, and 2 religious facilities, have been damaged.