Hamyang Wildfire 32% Contained... 51 Helicopters to Be Deployed at Sunrise

The wildfire in Hamyang is currently 32% contained. The forest authorities plan to begin full-scale suppression operations at sunrise by mobilizing all available personnel and resources, including 51 helicopters.

On the 23rd, members of the Korea Forest Service's Special Forest Fire Disaster Suppression Team are carrying out firefighting operations at a wildfire site in Hamyang. Photo by Korea Forest Service

According to the Central Wildfire Response Headquarters of the Korea Forest Service on the 23rd, as of 5:00 a.m. that day, the wildfire-affected area was estimated at 189 hectares, with a fire line of 8.26 kilometers. Of the total fire line, 2.64 kilometers (32%) has been brought under control.

The wildfire broke out at around 9:14 p.m. on the 21st in the area of Changwon-ri, Macheon-myeon, Hamyang-gun, South Gyeongsang Province. Fearing that the fire could spread further, the forest authorities issued a "Wildfire Spread Response Level 2" alert at 10:30 p.m. on the 22nd.

Response Level 2 is issued when the affected area is 100 hectares or more, or when the average wind speed is 11 meters per second or higher, or when the expected suppression time is 48 hours or longer, or when damage to 20 or more structures such as homes and other key facilities is anticipated.

Park Eunsik, Acting Administrator of the Korea Forest Service (second from left), is discussing suppression strategies with officials at the Hamyang Wildfire Command Center on the afternoon of the 22nd, his face set in a stern expression. Korea Forest Service

The forest authorities also transferred unified command authority at the wildfire site to the Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service starting at 10:00 p.m. on the 22nd. The unified command is currently being exercised by Park Eunsik, Acting Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service. Article 34 of the Forest Disaster Prevention Act stipulates that when there is concern about a large-scale, disaster-level wildfire, the Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service may assume command authority regardless of the size of the fire. The fact that unified command authority has been entrusted to the Commissioner underscores how grave the wildfire situation is.

At the Hamyang wildfire site, the current average wind speed is 0.6 meters per second, with gusts reaching 1.2 meters per second. The steep terrain is creating difficult conditions and is adding to the challenges of nighttime suppression work.

In response, the forest authorities plan to focus all efforts on suppressing the main fire front in the morning, including the deployment of 51 helicopters at sunrise. During the night, wildfire suppression was carried out with 105 fire engines and 603 firefighting personnel deployed to the scene.

The forest authorities plan to respond to the wildfire with the highest priority placed on ensuring resident safety, taking into comprehensive consideration both weather conditions and the characteristics of the terrain. They will also keep open the possibility of further spread and maintain the current wildfire response level.

The Central Wildfire Response Headquarters of the Korea Forest Service and South Gyeongsang Province stated, "In order to ensure that the wildfire can be contained at an early stage, we will mount an all-out response by concentrating all available personnel and equipment at the scene until the main fire front has been fully extinguished."

Meanwhile, on the 21st, when the Hamyang wildfire broke out, a total of 12 wildfires occurred nationwide. It is highly unusual for more than 10 wildfires to occur in a single day in February, and this appears to be largely due to the impact of the recent prolonged spell of dry weather.

In particular, strong winds have driven the wildfire risk to a very high level. The forest authorities said, "We will strengthen our wildfire preparedness posture and respond with all-out efforts when wildfires occur so that we can protect the lives and property of the public from wildfires," adding, "We urge the public to remain alert to wildfire risks and to exercise extreme caution even with small flames, and to join in efforts to prevent wildfires."