Gwangyang Wildfire Fully Contained in 19 Hours and 30 Minutes Amid National Mobilization Order

House Fire Spreads to 48 Hectares of Forest
Over 600 Residents Evacuated, Overnight Firefighting Efforts Continue

The wildfire that broke out in Okgok-myeon, Gwangyang City, Jeonnam, escalated into a major fire, prompting a national mobilization order, before being fully extinguished after 19 hours and 30 minutes.

According to the Jeonnam Fire Headquarters on January 22, the fire started at a house in Mukbaek-ri, Okgok-myeon, Gwangyang City, at around 3:02 p.m. the previous day and spread to a nearby forested mountain. It was completely extinguished by 10:30 a.m. on this day.

The wildfire that occurred on the 21st in Okgok-myeon, Gwangyang City, was fully extinguished after two days with the deployment of 421 pieces of equipment including helicopters and 4,300 personnel. Provided by Jeonnam Fire Headquarters

There were no casualties from the fire, but 601 residents were evacuated as an emergency measure, one house (97.65 square meters) was completely destroyed, and the area of forest damage was estimated at about 48 hectares.

The evacuation order for residents was lifted at noon.

The fire started at a house and quickly spread due to dry weather and northwesterly winds.

At the time, the temperature was minus 1 degree Celsius, there was no precipitation, and a dry weather advisory was in effect.

The fire authorities arrived at the scene at around 3:07 p.m. and began firefighting operations, but as the flames spread rapidly, they successively issued response levels 1 and 2.

At 5:05 p.m., the National Mobilization Order was issued by the National Fire Agency, and additional wildfire-specialized firefighting vehicles, personnel, and helicopters were dispatched from across the country.

By around 6:30 p.m., the containment rate reached 56%, but strong winds and a wide fire line made firefighting difficult.

During the night, a Surion helicopter equipped with a thermal imaging camera was used to monitor the fire line in real time and develop firefighting strategies. By midnight, the containment rate reached 80%, and overnight firefighting continued.

The forestry authorities succeeded in achieving initial containment of the main fire at around 9:30 a.m. on this day, and the response level was downgraded. Over the two days, 421 pieces of equipment, including helicopters, and 4,300 personnel were deployed.

The fire and forestry authorities plan to continue monitoring the site for the time being to investigate the exact cause of the fire and to guard against the possibility of reignition.