"Until the Last Spark... Yeongyang County Struggles to Fully Extinguish Wildfire"

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Yeongyang County, North Gyeongsang Province, suffered severe damages from the worst wildfire in history that broke out on March 25, resulting in 7 deaths (2 men and 5 women), the destruction of 5,070 hectares of forest, 112 buildings, 55 agricultural facilities, 3 livestock barns, and 19 other facilities.

Yeongyang County Strives to Completely Extinguish Wildfire. Photo by Yeongyang County

As of 4 p.m. on March 28, the main fire was completely contained. However, to extinguish the remaining embers, the county mobilized 645 personnel, including 250 public officials, as well as 6 helicopters, 7 fire suppression vehicles, and 28 fire trucks on March 29. On March 30, the response was reinforced with 659 personnel, 10 helicopters (4 more than the previous day), 9 fire suppression vehicles, and 29 fire trucks to prevent reignition and fully extinguish the wildfire.

Despite deploying personnel and equipment and working overnight in areas at high risk of reignition, such as Okgyeri, Junamri, and Samuiri in Seokbo-myeon, and Nodalri and Sanhaeri in Ippam-myeon, the county remains on high alert due to smoke rising from various locations.

In response, the county issued an emergency mobilization order for all staff at 8 a.m. on March 31, dispatching 719 personnel, including 300 public officials, and 63 pieces of equipment, including 4 helicopters, to extinguish every last ember.

County Governor Oh Dochang said, "I deeply appreciate the hard work of everyone striving day and night to extinguish the wildfire," and added, "However, with the sense of duty that the sooner we succeed, the sooner our residents can return to their daily lives with peace of mind, I earnestly ask everyone to hold on a little longer until the fire is completely out."

Earlier, on March 28, Yeongyang County Governor Oh Dochang issued a 'public appeal' asking all residents to do what they can from their respective positions to help reduce wildfire damage, such as cleaning up remaining embers and caring for neighbors, once safety is secured. Various civic groups and individuals are also lending a helping hand by volunteering for ember cleanup and at evacuation shelters to help overcome the wildfire damage.