Private Helicopter Fighting Wildfire Crashes in Ulsan... 1 Rescued, 1 Missing

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] A helicopter extinguishing a wildfire crashed in Ulsan, where strong wind and dry weather warnings were issued. Of the two people on board the accident helicopter, one has been rescued and the other is still being searched for.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Ulsan Fire Headquarters on the 19th, at around 3:30 PM, a helicopter engaged in wildfire suppression work crashed in a valley near Hoeya Reservoir in Ulju-gun, Ulsan. The pilot escaped and was rescued, and is reported to be in stable condition. The status of the co-pilot is still unknown.

The accident helicopter had been deployed earlier at around 1:47 PM to extinguish a wildfire on a hill in Daebok-ri, Ungchon-myeon, Ulju-gun. It is presumed that the helicopter, while scooping water, struck a nearby mountainside and then sank into the reservoir.

The rescued Mr. Hyun reportedly told the police, "The helicopter wobbled as it could not bear the weight while scooping water." The fire authorities stated, "It appears that the strong winds that day also had an impact."

Meanwhile, Ulsan City announced that the damage from the wildfire is tentatively estimated to be about 100 hectares so far.

The fire authorities are currently mobilizing about 2,200 personnel including Ulsan City and Ulju-gun officials, firefighters, and police, along with about 30 firefighting and rescue vehicles to extinguish the fire. Since helicopters cannot operate at night, firefighting efforts are led by officials on the ground, with plans to deploy 17 helicopters intensively in the morning.

The fire is spreading riding a southwest wind at 17.6 m/s amid a dry weather advisory.

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