Hamyang Wildfire Rages for Third Day... Helicopters Deployed to Focus on Containing Main Blaze

190-Hectare Blaze... First Major Wildfire of the Year
From Wildfire Response Level 2 to a National Mobilization Order
Early Containment Achieved in Goseong Wildfire

The wildfire that broke out in Macheon-myeon, Hamyang-gun, South Gyeongsang Province has continued for a third day, and fire authorities have deployed dozens of helicopters in an effort to contain the main fire. Fortunately, there have been no human casualties.

According to fire and forestry authorities on the 23rd, as of 8:00 a.m. the containment rate of the Hamyang wildfire stood at 32%.

Wildfire scene in the Hamyang-gun area of Gyeongsangnam-do. Korea Forest Service

The wildfire started at around 9:14 p.m. on the 21st in the Changwon-ri area of Macheon-myeon. Due to concerns over its spread, the forestry authorities issued "Wildfire Response Level 2 for Fire Spread" at 10:30 p.m. on the 22nd. Wildfire Level 2 is declared when the estimated affected area is 100 hectares or more, when the average wind speed is 11 m/s or higher, or when containment is expected to take more than 48 hours.

The National Fire Agency also issued a national firefighting mobilization order at 11:14 p.m. on the same day. This order is issued by the commissioner of the National Fire Agency when it is deemed difficult to respond to a disaster with the firefighting capacity of a single province or city, or when a response at the national level is required.

This Hamyang wildfire is the first major wildfire of the year, with an affected area alone reaching 190 hectares. Of the total 8.26 km of fire line, only 2.64 km has been fully contained so far.

Even during the night, fire authorities deployed 105 fire vehicles and 603 personnel, focusing on preventing the flames from spreading to residential areas or major facilities. However, the terrain at the site consists of steep slopes, and at one point strong winds with a maximum instantaneous speed of 8.5 m/s blew through the area, making it extremely difficult for firefighting personnel to access the fire line.

Starting today, 51 helicopters will be deployed to the site in sequence. A firefighting operation will be carried out in which large quantities of water are dropped from the air while ground crews mop up remaining embers, with the aim of completing the suppression of the main fire. So far, no human casualties have been reported.

Wildfires along the east coast of Gangwon Province, where a dry weather advisory and strong wind warning were in effect, were successfully brought under initial control thanks to the swift response of the relevant authorities. At around 7:22 p.m. on the 22nd, a fire of unknown cause broke out in a mulberry field in Inheung-ri, Toseong-myeon, Goseong-gun, and spread rapidly, fanned by strong winds.

Fire authorities first issued Response Level 1, which mobilizes all personnel from the responsible fire station, and then raised it to Response Level 2, which brings in neighboring fire stations as well. Including public officials, a total of 277 personnel and 70 pieces of equipment were deployed, concentrating all efforts on the initial suppression.

Thanks to the strong initial firefighting effort, the main flames were brought under control at around 9:15 p.m. As the wildfire spread, Goseong-gun sent emergency text messages instructing residents of Inheung-ri 1 to 3 to evacuate to the Toseong-myeon Administrative Welfare Center, and later issued evacuation orders to residents of Sinpyeong-ri and Wonam-ri as well. The authorities plan to remain in a monitoring posture while extinguishing remaining embers and, at the same time, to investigate the exact cause of the fire and the scale of the damage.