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Daegu wildfire extinguished 23 hours after flames reported

Published: 29 Apr. 2025, 13:26 Updated: 29 Apr. 2025, 13:33

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

A military helicopter deployed to extinguish the wildfire on Mount Hamji in Daeju is seen spraying water onto forests on April 29. [NEWS1]

The main fire of the wildfire in Daegu that broke out Monday was put out on Tuesday, nearly 23 hours after the initial flames were reported.

The area affected by the Daegu wildfire was 260 hectares (642 acres), the equivalent of 364 football fields.

Fire and forestry authorities announced that the main fire of the Daegu wildfire was extinguished at around 12:55 p.m. Tuesday near the Nogok-dong region in Buk District of the city, on Mount Hamji.

While the extent of the damage could increase further depending on the results of future investigations, there were no casualties.

The firefighting rate, which had been at 19 percent as of 8 p.m. Monday due to the effects of high temperature, dry weather and strong winds, rose sharply as the authorities deployed a large number of personnel and equipment for nighttime firefighting after sunset.

Forests on Hamji Mountain in Daegu are seen burned down from the wildfire on April 29. [NEWS1]

Authorities deployed 398 pieces of equipment and 1,515 personnel, including two KUH-1 Surion utility helicopters capable of nighttime flight, a special firefighting unit for forest fire disasters and 15 high-performance forest firefighting vehicles, to carry out firefighting and firebreak construction work overnight.

The Daegu City Government said that the Surion helicopters played a key role in efforts to extinguish the wildfire.

The city also said that schools that were put on a temporary holiday due to the wildfire would resume regular schedules starting Wednesday.

A police investigation to determine the cause of the Daegu wildfire will be requested soon, according to Daegu authorities.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]