Firefighters bring Hapcheon wildfire under control

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Firefighters bring Hapcheon wildfire under control

Published: 09 Mar. 2023, 18:50

Soldiers from the 39th Infantry Division of the Korean Army extinguish embers from a wildfire in Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang, on Thursday. [YONAHP]

A blaze in Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang, was finally brought under control Thursday morning nearly 20 hours after it broke out.

No casualties were reported.

Details on property damage were not immediately disclosed. Nearly 163 hectares (403 acres) of forestland were affected.

According to the Korea Forest Service and South Gyeongsang Provincial Government, the main fire in Hapcheon County, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) southeast of Seoul, was extinguished by around 10 a.m. on Thursday, about 20 hours after it started at 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

Exactly what caused the fire is yet unknown.

Authorities said the dry weather and strong winds seem to have exacerbated the situation. A dry warning had been issued over Hapcheon County for 13 days straight from Feb. 25 to Wednesday, with wind speeds reaching as high as 12 meters per second (26.8 miles per hour).

Over 200 residents who lived in six villages near the fire were evacuated to local community centers on Wednesday.

Thirty-three fire extinguishing helicopters and over 1,500 fire extinguishing personnel were mobilized to put out the fire, officials said, as well as dozens of fire engines and other “state-of-the-art” equipment.

Help came from the Korea Forest Service, South Gyeongsang Provincial Government, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, National Fire Agency, Korean National Police Agency, Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea Electric Power Corporation and the Forestry Cooperative in Korea.

Winds luckily slowed to 4 meters per second in Hapcheon County on Thursday morning and a bit of rain fell, allowing firefighters to control the fire.

Helicopters that had been grounded during the night due to safety concerns were brought back on Thursday morning as soon as the sun rose, officials explained.

Ten helicopters and 830 fire extinguishing personnel were said to be on standby Thursday in case another major fire broke out.

A Level 3 wildfire warning was issued in Hapcheon County on Wednesday, marking this year’s first in the country.

Level 3 is the worst out of the National Forest Service’s three wildfire warnings, announced when the size of the area affected by the blaze is 100 hectares or above, when the average wind speed is 7 meters per second or above and when it’s expected to take 24 hours or more to douse the flames.

BY AN DAE-HUN, LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]