Wildfire Barely Contained in Hamyang, Now Miryang... Overnight Firefighting in Samrangjin-eup

A Special Wildfire Disaster Suppression Unit is conducting nighttime firefighting operations at a wildfire scene in Geomse-ri, Samrangjin-eup, Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

Around 4:11 p.m. on the 23rd, a wildfire broke out in Geomse-ri, Samrangjin-eup, Miryang-si, Gyeongnam, and the forest and fire authorities are fighting the blaze throughout the night.

The Central Disaster Management Headquarters of the Korea Forest Service announced that at around 5:20 p.m. that day, it issued Wildfire Response Level 1 for fire spread and switched to a nighttime ground-response system after sunset.

The National Fire Agency issued Fire Response Level 1 at around 5:00 p.m. and the National Fire Mobilization Order at 5:39 p.m.

According to the forest authorities, all helicopters were withdrawn after sunset, but 508 ground firefighters and 105 pieces of equipment are building defensive lines and working to prevent the flames from spreading and reaching nearby areas and residential houses.

As of 11:30 p.m., the wildfire-affected area was 95 hectares, and the total length of the fire line was 5.0 kilometers. Of this, 1.65 kilometers has been extinguished, putting the containment rate at 33 percent, with 3.35 kilometers of fire line remaining.

A total of 184 people, including bedridden patients at a nearby convalescent hospital and residents of three villages near the wildfire site, have evacuated to places such as Samrangjin Elementary School, and there have been no human casualties so far.

However, the firefighting operation is facing difficulties because of the dry air and strong winds averaging 3 meters per second.

In response, the Korea Forest Service determined that the scale of the wildfire and its rate of spread exceeded the response capacity of the local government and required intensive management at the national level. Accordingly, effective at midnight on the 24th, the unified command authority for the Miryang wildfire was transferred from the mayor of Miryang to the acting Commissioner of the Korea Forest Service.

Earlier, Gyeongnam Governor Park Wansu ordered, "Make support for firefighting personnel and equipment at the wildfire site the top priority, and at the same time do your utmost to ensure on-site safety by checking that crews wear safety gear before deployment and by conducting prior safety training."

The On-Site Integrated Command Headquarters plans to launch a total of 31 wildfire-suppression helicopters simultaneously at the forecast sunrise time of 7:04 a.m. on the 24th, including 10 from the Korea Forest Service, 8 from Gyeongnam Province, 3 from the National Fire Agency, and 10 from the military, and to mount an all-out response with the goal of extinguishing the main fire in the morning.

The Korea Forest Service and Gyeongnam Province said, "During the night, we will prioritize human safety above all else and focus on preventing the spread of the flames with ground firefighting personnel."