Firefighter killed in large South Gyeongsang forest fire

Social Affairs

Published: 12 Mar. 2023, 17:00 Updated: 12 Mar. 2023, 18:24

Firefighter killed in large South Gyeongsang forest fire

A wildfire in Hadong County, South Gyeongsang, was extinguished on Sunday noon after about 23 hours the fire broke out. [YONHAP]

A wildfire in Hadong County, South Gyeongsang, was put out Sunday noon, nearly 23 hours after it started, with one firefighter dispatched to the area killed.

The main fire was extinguished at around 12 p.m. Sunday, after it broke out in the area of Jirisan National Park at around 1:19 p.m. on Saturday, according to the National Forest Service. The fire was extinguished due in part to rain that started to fall in the area around 11 a.m. on Sunday.

Around 91 hectares (225 acres) in Jirisan National Park were affected as of 7 a.m. Sunday, according to the National Forest Service. The exact cause of the fire is under investigation.

A total of 1,229 firefighters and 18 fire trucks were mobilized, but the flames continued due to dry air and strong winds until Sunday at around noon. The wind speed reached as high as 10 meters per second (22 miles per hour). Harsh weather conditions, such as fog, an absence of a forest road and the steep mountainous location were some of the challenges. Water had to be pumped from a river about 15 kilometers (9 miles) away to put out the blaze as streams near the area were dry due to extended drought.

The wildfire warning was increased to level 2 about 2 hours and 30 minutes after the fire broke. Level 2 is issued when around 30 to 100 hectares of land are estimated to have been affected and there is wind at an average speed of 7 to 11 meters per second. The time required to put out the fire is projected to be from 8 to 24 hours.

Some 76 people in the area, including six tourists, were safely returning home after evacuating to a town hall after the fire started, while a firefighter died after being sent to a hospital.

Firefighters try to extinguish the wildfire that occurred in Jirisan National Park in Hadong County in South Gyeongsang on Saturday. [NATIONAL FOREST SERVICE]

According to the South Gyeongsang Fire Department, the 64-year-old firefighter was found in cardiac arrest at around 10:04 p.m. on Saturday.

Only a minimum number of firefighters were left in the area on Saturday night.

“We ask for the cooperation of residents to prevent wildfires as another fire in Hadong occurred followed by the one in Hapcheon,” said Park Wan-su, South Gyeongsang Governor, on Sunday after he visited the accident site.

Another wildfire broke out in Hapcheon County in the province last Wednesday, which was extinguished after about 20 hours. No casualties were been reported, though a level 3 wildfire warning was issued in the area. Level 3 is the worst out of the National Forest Service’s three wildfire warnings. Around 163 hectares of the land has been affected by the fire, while its cause is still being investigated.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO, AN DAE-HUN [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]