Wildfire lurches closer to Unesco site in Andong

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Wildfire lurches closer to Unesco site in Andong

Published: 25 Mar. 2025, 18:52 Updated: 25 Mar. 2025, 19:12

LEE SOO-JUNG
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

A wildfire burns on a mountain ridge in Giran-myeon, Andong in North Gyeongsang on March 25. The fire started in Uiseong on Saturday. [NEWS1]

Andong issued evacuation orders to all residents as a raging wildfire originating from North Gyeongsang’s Uiseong County nears a Unesco World Heritage site in the city on Tuesday afternoon.

A fierce wildfire, which began in North Gyeongsang’s Uiseong County has grown to 12,565 hectares (31,048 acres) overnight as of Tuesday. The Uiseong fire, which began Saturday, is the third-largest wildfire in recorded Korean history, following two wildfires that occurred in eastern Gangwon in 2000 and 2022.

Some 2,600 residents from Uiseong County and Andong were evacuated, and 101 properties have been destroyed by the wildfire. At around 5 p.m., the Andong City government sent out a safety alert asking people to "evacuate to safe places as the wildfire spread across the city."

Andong Hahoe Village, a Unesco World Heritage site, is approximately 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) from the city's Pungcheon-myeon which is also nearly within the reach of the Uiseong fire.

The wildfire has been contained 62 percent as of Tuesday 3 p.m. A total of 2,673 fire crews and 226 fire engines were mobilized, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Strong gusts — expected to reach speeds of 10 to 20 meters (32 to 65 feet) per second — and dry air have continued to carry the flames to adjacent regions.

The fire engulfed Giran-myeon in Andong. It forced firefighters, reporters, and residents to flee the town at around 3 p.m. Tuesday.

North Gyeongsang’s Cheongsong County, about 8 to 8.5 kilometers from Andong, issued an evacuation order for its 1,960 residents at around 6 p.m.

The fire is expected to reach Cheongsong County in the early hours of Wednesday if the wind continues to blow eastward at its current speed — approximately 5.2 meters per second.

The leaves of coniferous trees, such as pines, are reportedly fueling the rapid spread of the wildfire due to the flammable resin they contain.

A vehicle patrols Giran-myeon in Andong, North Gyeongsang on March 25 as the Uiseong fire reaches the city. [NEWS1]

The state-run Korea Expressway Corporation closed motorways between Andong Junction and Cheongsong Interchange on an expressway connecting South Chungcheong’s Seosan and North Gyeongsang’s Yeongdeok due to smoke and heat.

The county office also canceled its local springtime festival, the Cornelian Cherry Flower Festival, citing the ongoing wildfire situation.

The Uiseong County office is reportedly planning to file a criminal complaint against an arson suspect who allegedly started the fire accidentally while visiting an ancestral grave on Saturday. Village residents testified that they saw the suspect hurrying down the mountain where the fire broke out.

According to the Forest Protection Act, individuals who cause a wildfire by negligence can face up to three years of imprisonment or a fine of up to 30 million won ($20,422).

A helicopter drops fire retardants on a mountain ridge in Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang on March 25. [YONHAP]

Besides the Uiseong fire, three other wildfires are burning in South Gyeongsang and Ulsan.

Another wildfire in Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang, which began on Friday, has been 88 percent contained as of Tuesday morning. The fire has burned 1,557 hectares.

The wildfire also killed three firefighters and one public official and injured six other firefighters. After the Sancheong fire broke out, the Changnyeong County authority dispatched its firefighters and public officials to help contain the blaze.

On Tuesday, funeral processions for the victims were held at Changnyeong Seoul Hospital in Changnyeong County, South Gyeongsang. The Changnyeong County office installed a public memorial altar and designated a mourning period for the victims, which will run through Thursday.

Two other active wildfires in Ulju County in Ulsan, and Gimhae in South Gyeongsang, are nearly contained, according to the Interior Ministry.

The Ulju fire, which broke out on Saturday, has been 98 percent contained with the help of 2,414 firefighting personnel. The fire has burned 435 hectares.

The Gimhae fire has burned 97 hectares since Saturday and has been 99 percent contained as of Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday, the Interior Ministry reported that the total casualties from the wildfires stood at 15, including four deaths and 11 injuries. The Korea Forest Service issued a public safety alert urging people to take fire safety precautions.

A visitor pays his condolences to firefighters and a public official who lost their lives while containing a wildfire in Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang, at a memorial altar in Changnyeong County in the same province on March 25. [YONHAP]

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]