All 33 Evacuated Residents Safe in Hamyang Wildfire ... Governor Park Wansu Vows "Full Effort on Containment, Safety First"

A firefighting helicopter is dropping water over the wildfire site in Changwon-ri, Macheon-myeon, Hamyang-gun, South Gyeongsang Province. Provided by the South Gyeongsang Provincial Government.

All nearby residents who evacuated due to the wildfire that broke out the previous day in Changwon-ri, Macheon-myeon, Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, are reported to be safe.

The Gyeongsangnam-do provincial government announced on the 22nd that 33 residents from villages near the wildfire site had taken shelter at nearby evacuation locations and that there have been no casualties so far.

Earlier, at 8:55 a.m. on the same day, Hamyang-gun sent out a disaster safety text message stating, "The wildfire is spreading around San 23-2 in Changwon-ri, Macheon-myeon. Residents of Gyeonbuldong and hikers must immediately evacuate to the Gojung Village Hall."

The wildfire that started at around 9:14 p.m. on February 21 in Changwon-ri, Macheon-myeon, Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, had reached a containment rate of 66% as of 1:30 p.m. on the 22nd.

An initial Level 1 wildfire spread response was issued at 4:00 a.m. on the same day, and a total of 42 helicopters are currently dropping water from the air, including 22 from the Korea Forest Service, 7 from Gyeongsangnam-do, 10 from the Ministry of National Defense, 2 from Jeollanam-do, and 1 from Jeollabuk-do.

Twenty-eight firefighting vehicles and 487 personnel are also working to prevent the fire from spreading and to extinguish the blaze.

Firefighting efforts are being hampered because the fire site is on steep terrain and in a strong-wind zone, with an average wind speed of 4.9 m/s and a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 9.1 m/s.

Park Wansu, Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do, ordered, "Mobilize all available helicopters, equipment, and personnel in the province as quickly as possible, and make every effort to extinguish the main fire and prevent further spread."

He also stressed, "Because the wildfire is spreading rapidly due to strong winds, it is not easy to bring it under control. Make the safety of firefighting personnel your top priority, and do everything possible to evacuate residents so that there are no casualties."

He further instructed, "Establish a close communication system between related agencies and cooperating departments, and strengthen coordination."

The wildfire is currently reported to be affecting an area of 48 hectares, with 1.1 kilometers of active fire line remaining.

The Gyeongsangnam-do provincial government plans to focus its efforts on extinguishing the main fire before sunset and to strengthen safety management for the firefighting crews deployed on site.