Yoon declares Gangneung a 'special disaster zone'

A fire that broke out in Gangneung, Gangwon on Tuesday damaged some 379 hectares of land in the area. [YONHAP]

President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday morning declared Gangneung a “special disaster zone” after one of the worst wildfires in recent years.

In response, the Interior Ministry immediately allocated 64 million won ($48,000) in emergency disaster relief to provide temporary homes and daily necessities to evacuees.

A special budget of 1 billion won has also been approved to speed up recovery from the blaze.

Yoon instructed acting Interior Minister Han Chang-seob to "exert all efforts for disaster relief to promptly allow residents to return to their daily lives," said presidential spokesperson Lee Do-woon in a written statement.

"The damage caused by the Gangneung fire on basic living infrastructure such as homes has been severe," said Vice Minister Han. "We hope that residents affected by the fire quickly recover."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport also said it will help refugees find a place where they could temporarily stay with the help of the Gangneung city government and the state-own developer LH Corp.

"It would be difficult to fathom the losses that the refugees feel from losing their homes from the sudden fire," said Lee Won-jae, the vice land minister. "We will focus on securing public lease apartments that the refugees can immediately move into."

The Gangneung city government on Wednesday set up a task force to investigate the damage caused in the area.

“We will draw up relief measures to let evacuees return to their economic lives as soon as possible,” said Gangwon Governor Kim Jin-tae .
The worst fire to break out in recent years in Gangwon robbed the homes of around 323 families, who had to flee.

According to initial reports, the fire started when a pine tree knocked out a powerline.

The nearby area reportedly experienced a blackout.

Typhoon-level winds with a velocity of 30 meters per second (67 miles per hour) hindered efforts to extinguish the blaze.

Firefighting helicopters that were grounded most of the day were able to lift off when the wind subsided.

The main fire was brought under control eight hours after the initial spark.

However, people who had to escape the flames spent the night at tents set up at an ice arena.

“I feel very stressed since my house burned down and because I slept in an unfamiliar place,” said a 58-year-old who spent the night at the refuge.

Some 125 structures from homes to bed-and-breakfasts were damaged.

An area of 379 hectares (936 acres) was turned to ashes, according to Gangwon Fire Headquarters.

Over 2,000 personnel were deployed to put out the blaze.

A man in his late 80s died in the fire, while 14 people were reportedly injured.

Residents in Gangneung asked the government for prompt measures to compensate them for their damages.

“There are still people who are living in shipping containers after losing their homes because of the forest fire that occurred in Goseong, Gangwon four years ago,” said a 57-year-old resident, referring to the massive wildfire that burned around 1,200 hectares of land and killed two in April 2019.

“The government needs to come up with measures as soon as possible.”

Another resident added, “Politicians should not worry about the cultural heritage [that burned because of the fire] but should discuss how they will compensate people.”

BY KIM MIN-JEONG, CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]