"Weather Conditions Favorable and Helicopter, Personnel Deployment Proceeding as Planned"
Forest authorities are focusing on extinguishing the last fire line, located 200 meters outside the perimeter of Jirisan, in the wildfire that occurred in Sancheong, Gyeongnam.
On the afternoon of the 28th, a CH-47 Chinook helicopter was moving over Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam Province to fight a forest fire. Photo by Yonhap News
On the 30th, Lim Sang-seop, Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service, held a briefing at the wildfire site and said, "Embers within the thick leaf litter and rocky layers have reignited in some areas," adding, "Weather conditions are favorable, and the deployment of helicopters and personnel is proceeding as planned, so we will do our best to extinguish the main fire today."
According to forest authorities, the containment rate was recorded at 99% as of 8 a.m. that day. The authorities reportedly failed to extinguish the main fire in the Jirisan area the previous day due to rugged terrain, and after sunset, they deployed 996 personnel and 201 pieces of equipment to conduct overnight firefighting operations.
It is understood that all flames spreading inside Jirisan National Park have been extinguished. However, during the night, embers reignited near Dosolam, located outside the national park boundary, forming a fire line approximately 200 meters long.
At sunrise, forest authorities deployed 50 helicopters and assigned 1,473 personnel and 213 vehicles to suppress the flames.
The wildfire-affected area covers 1,858 hectares, with a total fire line length of 71.2 kilometers, leaving 0.2 kilometers remaining. The wildfire has caused a total of 14 casualties, including 4 deaths and 10 injuries ranging from serious to minor.
Evacuations of disaster victims have prolonged, with 473 people currently staying in seven locations, including Donguibogam Village in Sancheong. A total of 84 facilities have been damaged, including 28 houses, 2 factories, and 2 religious facilities.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
