As simultaneous wildfires across the country have prolonged and the damage has spread, wildfire content posted on the Chungju City YouTube channel two weeks before a major wildfire occurred is gaining attention belatedly.
On February 4, a video titled "Wildfires, Is This Okay?" was uploaded to Chungju City's official YouTube channel, "ChungTV." The video shows "Chungju Man" Kim Seontae, a public official, responding to a wildfire that broke out on a hill in Neungam-ri, Angseong-myeon, Chungju City in February. The wildfire was extinguished in about two hours with the deployment of four helicopters and over 100 personnel.
In the video, Officer Kim explained how local governments, the Korea Forest Service, and fire authorities collaborate when a wildfire occurs. At the wildfire site, he said, "Because the mountain is high and the wind is strong, it is not the stage to deploy firefighters on the ground; we first extinguish the fire by helicopter." He added, "If the fire crosses the mountain, there are residential areas, so we need to watch that side to prevent casualties."
Officer Kim explained that wildfire suppression is under the jurisdiction of the Korea Forest Service, and the fire department conducts firefighting operations if the fire spreads to residential areas. He also said that local government officials check the status of nearby homes, inform residents of the wildfire, and evacuate them if necessary. In fact, Officer Kim himself visited homes near the wildfire area that day and called residents to inform them about the wildfire.
After the main fire was contained, he also helped with mop-up operations at the wildfire site. Officer Kim showed a burning branch beneath the blackened ashes and said, "You have to check for smoldering embers like this," adding, "We rake the soil to cover the embers and mop up to prevent smoke from rising."
Netizens who watched the video expressed admiration, saying, "I saw the wildfire and remembered this video, so I watched it again," and "How far ahead did they foresee this?" Especially regarding the public officials working at the wildfire site, comments included, "The Korea Forest Service tried everything to promote that 'wildfires are extinguished by the Korea Forest Service,' but changing public perception was impossible until this video solved it," "Seeing how public officials work makes me feel reassured and confident," and "Thank you to the public officials and firefighters," showing their support.
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