"Setting Fire to Fields Can Cost Lives" ... Gyeongbuk Fire Department Warns Against Winter Field Burning

84 Cases and 12 Casualties in the Past 3 Years

Prior Notification to the Jurisdictional Fire Station Required

The Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters has urged caution when handling fire outdoors during the dry winter season, such as burning rice field and farmland ridges or burning weeds.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] On the 5th, an 81-year-old man died in an accident while burning the rice field embankment in front of the village.

The Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters urged caution when handling fire outdoors, such as burning rice field or farmland embankments or burning weeds, as the risk of fire increases due to dry weather in winter.

According to the Fire Headquarters, there have been 84 cases of rice field and farmland embankment fires in the past three years, resulting in 12 casualties.

Most of the victims were elderly people over 70 years old who often burned rice fields or farmland to control pests that overwinter underground.

The Gyeongbuk Province Fire Prevention Ordinance stipulates that anyone who intends to light a fire or conduct smoke fumigation in forest-adjacent areas and around rice fields or farmland, where there is a risk of being mistaken for a fire, must report to the fire station chief in charge of the jurisdiction before performing the act.

If a fire is lit without reporting and causes a fire truck to be dispatched, a fine of 200,000 won will be imposed.

Director Lee Youngpal said, “Recently, due to frequent winds and dry air, even a small spark can lead to a fire that engulfs forest areas. If a wildfire occurs, do not try to extinguish it alone; report it to 119 and evacuate immediately to a safe place.”

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