1846 Firefighters Nationwide Dispatched to Extinguish Wildfire in Goseong, Gangwon (Comprehensive)

Fire Response Level 3 and Mobilization Order No. 2 Issued

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] To extinguish the wildfire that occurred in Toseong-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, 314 fire trucks and 1,846 firefighting personnel from across the country have gathered. This nationwide mobilization of firefighting forces is the third time, following the 2019 Gangwon-do Goseong wildfire and the support for transporting COVID-19 patients in February this year.

The National Fire Agency announced that as the wildfire in Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do rapidly spread due to dry conditions and strong winds, causing extensive damage, it issued Nationwide Firefighting Mobilization Order No. 2 at 9:43 PM on the 1st, and then at 12:17 AM on the 2nd, it declared the highest emergency response level, Response Level 3.

Accordingly, 26 fire trucks and 92 firefighters from the Central 119 Rescue Headquarters, 239 vehicles and 829 personnel from city and provincial fire departments nationwide, and 76 vehicles and 354 personnel from the Gangwon region combined to deploy a total of 314 fire trucks and 1,846 firefighting personnel for suppression efforts.

So far, there have been no casualties. Three houses were burned, and 1,621 residents have evacuated to Toseong-myeon Cheonjin Elementary School, Ayajin Elementary School, Sokcho Kyungdong University, Sokcho Indoor Gymnasium, Goseong Sports Complex, village halls, and other locations. Approximately 1,800 soldiers from the Army’s 22nd Division, located about 2 km from the wildfire area, have also evacuated.

Fire trucks dispatched from fire stations nationwide are gathering at resource assembly points such as Sampoh Beach and Bongsudae Beach, where they are assigned operational areas before moving to the site to engage in direct fire suppression, establish defensive lines to prevent fire spread, and conduct mop-up operations.

National Fire Agency Commissioner Jung Moon-ho departed for the Goseong site immediately after issuing Mobilization Order No. 2, arriving at 1:49 AM at the Toseong-myeon Office, where the Goseong-gun Wildfire Integrated Command Center was established, to discuss response measures with related agencies before heading directly to the scene.

The National Fire Agency stated that a total of 32 helicopters, including firefighting helicopters, are currently on standby to be deployed to the fire site as soon as daylight breaks.

Earlier, at around 8:04 PM on the 1st, a fire broke out at a house in Dowon-ri, Toseong-myeon, Goseong-gun, Gangwon-do, and spread rapidly to nearby hillsides driven by strong winds. Currently, a dry weather advisory is in effect throughout Gangwon-do, and strong wind advisories have been issued for the plains of Goseong, Sokcho, Yangyang, and the central mountainous areas of Gangwon-do where the fire occurred.

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