Wildfire in Balsan-ri, Chuncheon Extinguished... 7ha of Forest Land Burned (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] A wildfire that broke out on the afternoon of the 4th in a mountain area in Balsan-ri, Sinbuk-eup, Chuncheon-si, Gangwon-do, burned 7 hectares including forest land and was extinguished on the 5th.

The Gangwon-do Wildfire Prevention Headquarters and forestry and fire authorities completed the main fire extinguishing around 11:30 a.m. that day and are currently cleaning up the remaining flames.

About 510 firefighting personnel, including 9 helicopters, were deployed to the site that morning to carry out extinguishing operations. However, as the firefighting faced difficulties, the forestry authorities additionally deployed 3 super-large helicopters and urgently dispatched 3 specialized wildfire extinguishing teams of about 30 people from nearby cities and counties such as Sokcho, Goseong, and Yangyang, along with 3 firefighting vehicles.

The Balsan-ri wildfire occurred at around 1:56 p.m. the previous day. Fire and military authorities deployed 4 helicopters and about 80 firefighting personnel the previous day to fight the fire, but steep slopes and smoke-filled valleys made extinguishing difficult. They established an emergency night defense line and withdrew with a 60% extinguishing rate due to sunset.

The Gangwon-do Wildfire Prevention Headquarters and forestry and fire authorities are investigating the exact cause of the wildfire and the extent of the damage.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.