[Report] Gyeongbuk in Anguish... A Lifetime's Home and Land, 'Millennia' Burned Down

22 Dead, Over 33,000 Evacuated
Record-Breaking Wildfire Impact Zone
Millennium-Old Temple and Cultural Heritage Lost in Uiseong

On the night of the 25th, when massive fireballs swept through mountains, fields, and villages, the village head and his wife rushed to the neighboring village to pick up his sister-in-law and other residents.

Kwon Youngsun, the village head of Samui-ri, Seokbo-myeon, Yeongyang-gun, in his 60s, said he got into the car with his wife after receiving an urgent message from the neighboring village of Hwamae-ri: "The entire area of our village is on fire."

After picking up his sister-in-law, they were on their way back to Samui-ri. The trees, forests, mountains, and fields that had been their lifelong support had already succumbed to the flames. Around 8 p.m., about two hours later, their burned vehicle was found on National Road 917. Three bodies were discovered in a nearby drainage ditch, as if they had desperately tried to hide. Yeongyang-gun is seeking ways to honor the sacrifice of the late village head Kwon, who worked to evacuate residents.

On the night of the 26th, mountains around Yeongyang County, Gyeongbuk, are burning. Photo by Kim Guiyeol.

On the afternoon of the 27th, about 500 residents who escaped the fire gathered at the Yeongyang-gun Community Center in North Gyeongsang Province. Lying inside more than 10 large tents provided by the Red Cross and other aid organizations, they are still battling memories of terror, with no time yet to worry about their homes or livelihoods.

After the evacuation order was issued, Mr. Kim (in his 50s), who came to a temporary shelter in Yeongyang-eup from Subi-myeon, Yeongyang-gun with his family on the 25th, said, "When I left with my son, our house wasn't burning yet, but the farmland, orchard, and the mountain behind us were already engulfed in flames," his voice trembling.

He is worried about returning home, as he still doesn't know how much of his house has burned.

Mr. Lee, in his 70s, said, "I've never seen fire flying through the air in my entire life," and added, "My house, storage, truck, tractor, and farming equipment have all burned down, and I have no idea how to recover from this."

On the evening of the 25th, a wildfire spread in the Seokbo-myeon area of Yeongyang-gun, Gyeongbuk, and a vehicle belonging to Kwon Mo, the village chief of Samui-ri, who was trying to evacuate residents, fell into an irrigation canal and was destroyed. Three bodies were found around the vehicle. Photo by Kim Guiyeol.

Uiseong, Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, Yeongdeok... As the mountains and fields burn, North Gyeongsang Province is crying out in agony.

Since the third stage of wildfire response was issued for Uiseong-gun and Andong-si on the afternoon of the 22nd, and then for Cheongsong, Yeongyang, and Yeongdeok on the 25th, the containment rate has not even reached half as of midday on the 27th. Yeongdeok-gun, which has suffered the most fatalities, has a containment rate stuck at 10%. In Yeongdeok alone, there have been 19 casualties, including 8 deaths (4 men, 4 women), and one person is still missing due to this wildfire.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCHQ) tally on the morning of the 27th, out of 26 wildfire deaths nationwide, 8 seriously injured, and 22 with minor injuries, 22 deaths occurred in four cities and counties in North Gyeongsang: 4 in Andong, 3 in Cheongsong, 6 in Yeongyang, and 9 in Yeongdeok.

Residents of Yeongyang County have evacuated to the temporary shelter at Yeongyang County Community Center. Photo by Kim Guiyeol.

In the five cities and counties of North Gyeongsang directly hit by the fire, 2,572 buildings have been damaged, including 2,448 homes. From the afternoon of the 22nd to 1 p.m. on the 27th, a total of 33,089 residents were evacuated, and 15,369 people still have not been able to return home.

The wildfire impact area and damage reported by the CDSCHQ that morning were the largest ever recorded. The affected area was 36,009 hectares, with massive forest destruction and the loss of cultural heritage.

The thousand-year-old temple Gounsa in Uiseong was reduced to ashes, and most of the large wooden pavilions and halls, including the nationally designated cultural heritage treasure Gawunru and Yeonsojeon, were destroyed.

A few seconds of carelessness have burned away a lifetime's home, future, and even a "thousand years" of history.