Gwangyang Wildfire 80% Contained... Authorities Aim for Full Extinguishment Today

42 Hectares of Forest Burned, Equivalent to 58 Soccer Fields
Around 150 Residents Evacuated; No Casualties Reported

At around 3:31 PM on the 21st, a wildfire is spreading in Okgok-myeon, Gwangyang-si, Jeollanam-do. Provided by Jeollanam-do Fire Headquarters, Yonhap News Agency

Efforts to extinguish the wildfire that broke out in Gwangyang, Jeollanam-do, have continued for a second day. While approximately 80% of the main fire has been brought under control, authorities are expediting full suppression by deploying additional helicopters.

According to the Korea Forest Service and the Jeollanam-do Fire Headquarters on January 22, authorities have mobilized 38 fire trucks and 322 personnel to a hillside in Okgok-myeon, Gwangyang-si, Jeollanam-do, to carry out firefighting operations. The wildfire started at around 3:02 PM the previous day when a fire broke out at a nearby house and spread to the hillside, continuing for more than 15 hours.

No casualties have been reported so far. However, 42 hectares of forest have burned, which is equivalent to the size of 58 soccer fields (0.714 hectares each). The affected area remains at 42.37 hectares, unchanged from the previous day, and 2.51 kilometers out of the total 3.83 kilometers of the fire line have been extinguished.

The Korea Forest Service lifted the nighttime firefighting system at 7:30 AM as soon as the sun rose and began daytime operations by sequentially deploying 26 helicopters. Authorities plan to fully extinguish the fire within the day. On the night of January 21, a Surion helicopter equipped with a thermal imaging camera was deployed for the first time to assess the situation on site.

Approximately 150 residents from Okgok-myeon and Jinsang-myeon, near the affected house and hillside, were evacuated to shelters set up at the township office and welfare center, while some residents evacuated to other areas.

An official from the Jeollanam-do Fire Headquarters stated, "We are making every effort to extinguish the fire in cooperation with the Korea Forest Service to prevent any casualties."