Worst fires in a decade torch 15,000 hectares

Social Affairs

Published: 06 Mar. 2022, 19:14 Updated: 06 Mar. 2022, 19:21

Worst fires in a decade torch 15,000 hectares

A blaze that started in Okgye-myeon in Gangneung, Gangwon early Saturday, spread to residential areas in the city of Donghae, above, on Saturday. Massive wildfires burned through an estimated 15,420 hectares of land in Korea’s east coast, including in Uljin, North Gyeongsang, and Samcheok, Gangwon, over the weekend. [YONHAP]

Wildfires blazed across Korea's east coast for a third day Sunday, the country's biggest mountain fire in a decade.

The massive wildfires burned through an estimated 15,420 hectares of land, or the size of 21,000 football fields, as of 6 p.m. Sunday, according to Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters. The greatest damage was caused in Uljin, North Gyeongsang, and the bordering northern city of Samcheok, Gangwon.

Uljin, the epicenter of the blaze, saw 12,695 hectares of damage to woodlands, while Samcheok saw 656 hectares damaged. Other areas of Gangwon including Okgye in Gangneung, Donghae and Yeongwol saw smaller wildfires.

The fires forced more than 7,400 people to flee their homes, and 1,075 people whose houses burned down were evacuated to 28 temporary shelters in nearby public facilities and schools.

So far, 463 houses and other kinds of buildings were burned down, including 388 in Uljin.

The wildfire is suspected to have begun Friday morning near a mountain in Ducheon-ri, Uljin County, and spread rapidly northward to Samcheok, Gangwon, amid strong winds and dry weather.

Efforts to put out the flames were thwarted Saturday because of smoke and wind.

Firefighters continued to fight the blaze Sunday but — because of its scale — said it would take more time.

The Korea Forest Service and related authorities dispatched 89 helicopters to put out the east coast blazes, including 44 in Uljin and Samcheok. Some 16,000 personnel, including 2,200 firefighters and 11,400 firefighters, police officers, Coast Guard and soldiers were mobilized to suppress the flames.

Authorities also provided more than 60,000 relief goods for displaced people, including Covid-19 prevention items.

This was the largest blaze since an east coast wildfire in 2000, which lasted from April 7 to 15, burning 23,794 hectares of woodlands in five regions including Gangwon's Goseong, Gangneung, Donghae and Samcheok, and Uljin.

President Moon Jae-in, left, visits a temporary shelter at a sports center in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang, Sunday, after major wildfires in Korea’s east coast, offering words of support to the displaced victims. [BLUE HOUSE]

On Sunday, President Moon Jae-in visited shelters for displaced people in Uljin to offer support.

"The sense of loss must be indescribable," Moon told victims evacuated to a gymnasium in Uljin County, "because you lost your place of living overnight."

Later, Moon designated Uljin and Samcheok as a special disaster zone, according to the Blue House Sunday, promising swift government support for victims.

For special disaster zones, the central government pays a portion of restoration costs, reducing the burden on local governments.

In addition, indirect support can be provided to evacuees, such as subsidies for livelihood relief and deferment of local taxes.

The fires came close to reaching major national facilities in the regions such as the Uljin nuclear power plant and liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tanks in Samcheok.

Forestry authorities began investigating Sunday the cause of the wildfire in Uljin.

Roadside CCTV footage suggested that the fire may have been caused by a cigarette butt discarded by a driver on a road passing a mountain in Buk-myeon, Ducheon-ri.

Separately, in Okgye, Gangneung, in Gangwon, a 60-year-old man is accused of using a handheld butane torch to set fire to his home and nearby buildings early Saturday, which rapidly spread across the area.

The blaze started in Okgye burned through 1,825 hectares of land so far.

An arrest warrant was issued by a Gangneung court Sunday for the man, who is accused of arson and the violation of the Forest Protection Act. A neighbor reported to police that he saw the man set fire to buildings with a torch around 1:07 a.m. Saturday. The man was wearing a helmet and carrying an axe and torch upon his arrest.

He admitted to the crime, claiming his neighbors "ignored" him for years. He moved from Seoul five years ago to live with his 86-year-old mother and reportedly had little interaction with his neighbors.

His mother fell while being evacuated and was transferred to the hospital. She was later confirmed dead.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]