Kim Dongseok, Fire Lieutenant at Incheon Gyeyang Fire Station, Contributes to Yonhap News
Dispatched to Gyeongbuk Wildfire Site on March 27-28
"Realized How Terrifying a Fire Attached to Cow Dung Can Be"
On the 27th and 28th of last month, a firefighter from Incheon who was dispatched to the wildfire site in Gyeongbuk shared his "1 night 2 days struggle," drawing attention. Yonhap News introduced a contribution article sent by Fire Lieutenant Kim Dong-seok of the Incheon Gyeyang Fire Station on the 7th, reporting that he vividly described "the situation where he had to work hard to extinguish fires attached to livestock manure while traveling on rural roads with few fire hydrants and no streetlights." Fire Lieutenant Kim told Yonhap News, "It was the first time I truly realized how terrifying a fire attached to cow dung could be."
The first site Fire Lieutenant Kim was dispatched to on the 27th of last month was a Korean beef cattle barn in Yeongdeok, Gyeongbuk. He said, "There was a livestock manure storage area on the mountain side, and across the road was the barn. The barn was severely damaged by the fire the day before. Smoke was continuously rising from the cow dung and rice husks left on the floor," adding, "The bigger problem was the cow dung piled up on the mountainside across the road. Mixed with straw, the dry cow dung caught fire easily, and once ignited, it was hard to extinguish. Even when water was sprayed on the surface, the embers often remained inside, and due to strong winds, there was always a risk of sparks igniting and spreading the wildfire. Our team of three took turns: one sprayed water, and two repeatedly flipped the cow dung with rakes."
However, unlike in the city, the problem was that there were no fire hydrants because farms were located on the mountainside. Fire Lieutenant Kim said, "Whenever the water ran out, someone had to drive the fire truck to a fire hydrant 10 to 15 minutes away to refill water, while the other two guarded the site to prevent the flames from spreading," explaining, "Nowadays, with the 'T-map' app, you can find fire hydrants anywhere in the country. While the fire truck was refilling water, I worried that the flames might reignite or spread to the surroundings, but after a hard-fought battle, we were fortunately able to prevent the fire from spreading to the mountain."
Night soon fell, and the situation became more difficult. Emergency calls to 119 flooded in, and around 8 p.m., Fire Lieutenant Kim was dispatched to a site where straw for feed piled up in the yard of a barn in Yeongdeok was burning. He said, "We even deployed a backhoe, but the flames were not easily controlled. We conducted joint operations with fire trucks from other regions. While one truck extinguished the fire, another went to refill water at the fire hydrant. I also continuously shuttled between the site and the fire hydrant to support water supply," adding, "The narrow and poorly paved rural roads could not support the weight of the water-laden fire trucks, and if the road gave way, there was a risk of overturning accidents. In the mountain without streetlights and amid thick smoke, I was on high alert while transporting water."
While struggling to control the flames, time passed midnight. Fire Lieutenant Kim said, "I woke up at 2 a.m. on the 27th, so by 1 a.m. on the 28th, I had been fighting non-stop for 23 hours. Feeling my physical limits, I requested a shift change at the command center."
After returning to the assembly point at the Yeongdeok Intangible Cultural Heritage Center, he rested for about two hours and received another dispatch order around 5:42 a.m. on the 28th. This time, a large amount of hay used for feed was burning in a barn in Yeongdeok. He requested backhoe support and repeatedly flipped the haystack and sprayed water. Despite the harsh smoke making it difficult to breathe, the operation continued until 8:58 a.m. He wrote, "Only after returning to the assembly point around 9:30 a.m. could I take a quick shower and have a late breakfast. The 1 night 2 days struggle was coming to an end."
Fire Lieutenant Kim emphasized, "This Uiseong wildfire must never be repeated as a national disaster. What I felt urgently on site was the awareness of how a small spark can lead to huge damage. Thorough preparation for wildfire prevention and citizens' interest are more important than anything else. We must remember that small carelessness in dry weather can cause uncontrollable damage and work together to prevent wildfires."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
