Flames Detected Again the Previous Evening...
14 Helicopters Deployed for Firefighting
Forest Science Institute Begins Investigation,
Expected to Take Over Two Weeks
Bukgu to Send Official Investigation Request to Police
The fire at Hamjisan in Bukgu, Daegu, which had been extinguished after 23 hours, partially reignited. On April 30, at sunrise, firefighting authorities began deploying helicopters and personnel to contain the blaze.
According to firefighting authorities and other sources, flames were observed again around 7:30 p.m. on April 29 in the Hamjisan area behind Hamji High School in Guam-dong. The exact scale of the rekindling is not yet known, but significant amounts of smoke were reported at the scene.
A forest fire that broke out around 2:01 p.m. on the 28th at Hamjisan in Nogokdong, Bukgu, Daegu, is spreading to nearby residential areas in Joyadong. Photo by Yonhap News
Authorities are conducting firefighting operations using 14 helicopters and additional personnel. They have also begun investigating the cause of the forest fire. The National Institute of Forest Science visited the Hamjisan area, which is presumed to be the initial ignition point, and conducted a preliminary on-site investigation the previous day. The institute is analyzing weather conditions and footage from the time of the fire to backtrack and determine the ignition site. The results of the investigation are expected within two to four weeks.
The investigation into the cause of the forest fire is also expected to intensify. Bukgu plans to send an official request for investigation to the police as early as today. This is because entry to Hamjisan had been prohibited since April 1 under Daegu City's "Forest Fire Prevention Administrative Order." The Special Judicial Police of Bukgu’s Parks and Greenery Division, who are in charge of the forest fire investigation, decided to request police assistance to swiftly apprehend those responsible for the fire. Currently, only a small number of residents are known to have used the farm road in question for purposes such as cultivating small plots. Anyone responsible for causing a fire during the period of the administrative order is subject to aggravated penalties.
The Hamjisan fire started around 2:00 p.m. on April 28 at the ninth ridge. Authorities sequentially issued levels 1, 2, and 3 of the forest fire response and deployed a large number of firefighting helicopters, vehicles, and personnel. Level 3 is the highest response level issued by forest authorities. It is declared when the expected area of damage exceeds 100 hectares, the average wind speed exceeds 11 m/s, or the expected extinguishing time exceeds 48 hours. A national firefighting mobilization order was also issued. The Commissioner of the National Fire Agency may issue a mobilization order when it is deemed difficult to respond to disasters such as fires with the firefighting capacity of a particular province or when there is a recognized need to deploy firefighting resources at the national level.
The main challenge was strong winds. Daegu was under a continuous dry warning, and gusts reached up to 15 meters per second, making firefighting efforts difficult. However, two Surion helicopters capable of night flights, 1,515 personnel including the special forest fire disaster response team, and 398 pieces of equipment including 15 high-performance forest fire response vehicles were mobilized overnight, establishing a foundation for containment.
Fortunately, there were no casualties. The National Fire Agency and others evacuated 661 out of 6,500 residents from 3,514 households in Nogok, Joyadong, Seobyeon, and Guam-dong, distributing them to five schools: Paldal, Maechon, Yeongyeong, Dongpyeong Elementary, and Dongbyeon Middle School. In cooperation with public health centers, the agency also evacuated 61 residents from care facilities such as Siloam Nursing Home, Jeonghyang Silver Town, Dongseobyeon Silver Town, and Daegu Nursing Home.
Daegu City, led by the Disaster and Safety Division, established an integrated support center to accurately tally the damage and provide recovery and psychological counseling support. As forest destruction raises concerns about flood damage during the rainy season, emergency forest restoration and related work will continue. Measures are also being prepared to prevent water pollution that may be caused by ash from the fire.
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