Korea Forest Service Announces Complete Extinguishment of Reignited Hamjisan Wildfire in Daegu

Declaration of Complete Wildfire Extinguishment on May 1
Wildfire-Affected Area Totals 310 Hectares

The wildfire on Hamjisan Mountain in Bukgu, Daegu, which reignited 23 hours after the main fire had been brought under control, was fully extinguished on May 1.

On the morning of the 1st, helicopters belonging to the Korea Forest Service and the fire department are conducting firefighting operations as the wildfire on Hamjisan Mountain in Bukgu, Daegu, which had been controlled, reignited on the 29th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News

The Korea Forest Service announced at 8 a.m. on this day that the firefighting operation for the reignited Hamjisan wildfire had been completed and that they had switched to a monitoring system to watch for any remaining embers. Authorities stated, "All visible fire lines detected by thermal imaging cameras have disappeared."

Due to this reignition, the affected area of the Hamjisan wildfire increased by 50 hectares compared to the initial declaration of containment, totaling 310 hectares.

The Hamjisan wildfire, which broke out at around 2 p.m. on April 28 and was extinguished after 23 hours, reignited at 7:31 p.m. on April 29 on the seventh ridge near Baekryeonsa Temple.

As the flames spread toward Seobeon-dong and other areas, an emergency disaster alert was sent at 5:13 p.m. on April 30, requesting nearby residents to evacuate.

As a result, at one point, more than 200 residents evacuated to designated wildfire shelters, including Dongbyeon Middle School, Paldal Elementary School, and Yeongyeong Elementary School.

Authorities mobilized a large number of personnel and equipment overnight, continuing firefighting operations throughout the night. The fire department also deployed approximately 60 fire trucks and 200 personnel, focusing on these areas.

With the arrival of daylight, 884 personnel and 43 firefighting helicopters were deployed to extinguish the remaining fire lines.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, 5 to 10 millimeters of rain is forecast to fall from the afternoon of this day, which is expected to help with the final extinguishing of the embers.