The Fire Spread Delay Agent Proves Effective... Early Containment of Wildfire on Gangwon East Coast

On the 16th, the Korea Forest Service deployed forest helicopters and special wildfire suppression teams to the wildfire site on the East Coast of Gangwon Province, successfully extinguishing the fire within three hours of its outbreak. At the site, forest helicopters sprayed retardants from the air while ground suppression teams conducted a three-dimensional firefighting operation by cleaning up remaining embers. Photo by Korea Forest Service

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The wildfire on the east coast of Gangwon Province was completely extinguished within three hours of its outbreak. Despite challenging conditions for firefighting due to strong winds, the relatively quick containment was largely attributed to the role of the wildfire retardant in delaying the fire's spread.

According to the Central Wildfire Prevention Headquarters of the Korea Forest Service on the 16th, the wildfire broke out around 2:26 PM in Okgye-myeon, Gangneung City, Gangwon Province, and was fully extinguished by approximately 5:25 PM.

At the time, a strong wind advisory was in effect at the wildfire site, with strong westerly winds at 3.5 m/s combined with dry conditions (humidity at 37%), raising concerns about rapid fire spread.

However, the forest authorities urgently deployed firefighting resources including five wildfire suppression helicopters and 180 personnel, including 46 members of the special wildfire suppression team, preventing the flames from spreading further and achieving full containment.

Notably, a Korea Forest Service helicopter equipped with wildfire retardant was deployed at the scene, playing a key role in preventing the fire from expanding beyond its initial ignition point. Wildfire retardant is sprayed over forests to inhibit the spread of wildfires. This was the first instance of retardant use by the Korea Forest Service this year.

Currently, the Korea Forest Service is investigating the cause of the wildfire and identifying the responsible party while managing the site. The forest area damaged by the fire is estimated to be around 1 hectare. After completing the main fire suppression, the Korea Forest Service sprayed wildfire retardant around the site to establish firebreaks in preparation for any possible rekindling.

Go Rak-sam, head of the Central Wildfire Prevention Headquarters at the Korea Forest Service, stated, “Unlike the central region where a heavy snow advisory was issued on the 16th, the east coast of Gangwon Province experienced strong winds and dry conditions, increasing wildfire risk. We urge residents of the Gangwon east coast to exercise special caution to prevent wildfires caused by illegal burning or arson by visitors.”

Meanwhile, Article 53, Paragraph 5 of the Forest Protection Act stipulates that even wildfires caused by simple mistakes can result in imprisonment of up to three years or fines up to 30 million won if the perpetrator is identified. Additionally, Article 750 of the Civil Act holds wildfire perpetrators liable for damages independently of the Forest Protection Act.

This legal framework was made possible by the amendment of the Forest Protection Act, effective June 28, 2017. The core of the amendment is that even if a wildfire is caused by negligence rather than intent, the perpetrator can face both criminal punishment and civil liability simultaneously.

The Korea Forest Service raised the level of punishment for wildfire perpetrators through this legal amendment because data on wildfire causes showed a high proportion of fires caused by simple mistakes such as arson by visitors during spring and burning of field and farm waste each year.

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