22nd Division Soldiers Evacuated from Wildfire Safe So Far

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] Soldiers of the Army's 22nd Division who evacuated to public facilities in Sokcho and Goseong are currently confirmed to have no casualties.

On the 2nd, a military official stated, "A total of 1,621 people, including about 330 households from Dowon-ri, Hakya-ri, and Unbong-ri, evacuated early in the morning. The soldiers of the Army's 22nd Division are currently taking refuge at Sokcho Sports Complex, Goseong Sports Complex, and Kyungdong University."

According to the Gangwon-do East Coast Wildfire Prevention Center and forestry authorities, the Goseong wildfire, which started around 8:04 PM on the 1st at a house in Dowon-ri, Toseong-myeon, Goseong-gun, rapidly spread due to typhoon-level strong winds. The initial wildfire occurrence time was identified as 8:21 PM but was later corrected to 8:04 PM during verification by forestry authorities. The fire completely destroyed one house, one cowshed, and one boiler room, and it is estimated that 85 hectares of forest were lost.

The fire site and the Army's 22nd Division headquarters are about 2 km apart, but the military authorities stated that soldiers were evacuated to safe locations as a preemptive measure against wildfire spread.

Forestry authorities have deployed 1,346 firefighting personnel and 631 pieces of equipment, focusing all efforts on nighttime firefighting. The military also announced that as soon as the sun rises, 10 military helicopters will be deployed to assist in extinguishing the wildfire in Goseong, Gangwon-do.

The Ministry of National Defense explained, "At sunrise, 10 military helicopters including 2 Kamov, 2 CH-47 (Chinook), and 6 UH-60 (Black Hawk) will be deployed to assist in wildfire suppression." The military urgently deployed 16 fire trucks from various units to prevent the wildfire from spreading. As a preventive measure, water is being sprayed to protect military bases from wildfire damage.

Minister of National Defense Jeong Kyeong-doo received a wildfire situation report around 11:15 PM the previous day at the Joint Chiefs of Staff command and control room. Minister Jeong was briefed on the military base preparedness and urged full efforts for wildfire suppression and soldier safety, emphasizing active support for civilian evacuation.

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