Acting President and Prime Minister Han Ducksoo issued an emergency order on April 28, instructing authorities to mobilize all available equipment and personnel after receiving a report about a wildfire that broke out on the slopes of Hamji Mountain in Buk-gu, Daegu.
Han emphasized that the Korea Forest Service should do its utmost to extinguish the wildfire early, working in cooperation with local governments, the National Fire Agency, and the Ministry of National Defense.
Han also urged authorities to ensure that emergency rescue and evacuation efforts are thorough, noting that the wildfire is spreading rapidly due to strong winds and that residential areas are located nearby, which raises concerns about potential casualties.
He further instructed, "Mobilize all available resources and make every effort to extinguish the fire. Take every precaution to ensure the safety of firefighting personnel, and thoroughly prepare both personnel and equipment for nighttime firefighting operations, paying particular attention to their safety."
In addition, Han directed Buk-gu, Daegu and neighboring local governments to proactively deploy all administrative resources to help residents in areas at risk move quickly to safe locations.
Han also requested that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety work with the National Police Agency and local governments to promptly inform nearby residents of the disaster situation and to make every effort to manage safety at the scene, including site control.
The wildfire, which started around 2:00 p.m. that day at San 12, Nogok-dong, Buk-gu, is spreading toward residential areas in Seobeon-dong and Joyadong, Buk-gu. Fire authorities are working to prevent the flames from reaching residential areas by establishing firebreaks and spraying water on buildings.
The Korea Forest Service has currently issued Level 3 wildfire response, the highest response level, and has deployed 28 firefighting helicopters, 57 pieces of firefighting equipment, and 704 personnel to battle the blaze. Level 3 is declared when wind speeds exceed 7 meters per second, the expected damage area is over 100 hectares, and extinguishing the fire is expected to take more than 24 hours.
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