Gyeongbuk Province Enters 'Special Alert' for Buddha's Birthday... Firefighting Forces Deployed at Temples

The Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters conducting a joint fire drill in preparation for Buddha's Birthday.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Jae-ho] Gyeongbuk Province will enter special alert duty at all fire stations in the province from the 19th to the 20th to strengthen fire prevention and initial response posture in celebration of Buddha's Birthday.

According to Gyeongbuk Province on the 16th, there have been a total of 38 fires at traditional temples in the province over the past five years. The main cause was negligence, accounting for 63.2% (24 cases). Unknown causes accounted for 18.4% (7 cases), electrical causes 10.5% (4 cases), and mechanical causes 5.3% (2 cases).

The Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters will station fire trucks, firefighters, and volunteer firefighters at 33 traditional temples including Bogyeongsa Temple in Pohang during the special alert duty period, and conduct fire prevention patrols using fire trucks at 282 major temples.

Earlier, from the 19th of last month, intensive fire inspections were conducted for 217 locations including traditional temples and important wooden cultural properties in the province for three weeks, and fire station chiefs personally visited temples to provide fire prevention safety consulting to related personnel.

Kim Jong-geun, head of the Fire Headquarters, emphasized, "During the special alert duty period, we will thoroughly prepare to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by adhering to personal quarantine rules during on-site activities, and will make every effort to respond so that not a single fire occurs through close cooperation with related personnel and affiliated organizations."

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