Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo Commands Overnight Wildfire Suppression... Wildfire Contained After 36 Hours

40 Wildfire-Fighting Helicopters and About 2,700 Personnel Mobilized Under Total Mobilization Order

Governor Lee Cheol-woo of Gyeongbuk is briefing the local situation at the Yeongdeok wildfire site.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] Gyeongbuk Province confirmed that the forest fire that occurred in Samhwa-ri, Jipum-myeon, Yeongdeok-gun reignited around 2:20 a.m. on the 16th and continued for 36 hours until 2:30 p.m. on the 17th, burning 400 hectares of forest land.

The Gyeongbuk provincial forestry authorities completed mop-up operations to extinguish remaining embers of various sizes by the morning of the 18th to prevent the fire from reigniting or spreading again, and are focusing on monitoring for flare-ups.

Governor Lee Cheol-woo of Gyeongbuk Province immediately visited the on-site command center set up in Yeongdeok-eup after the forest fire alert was raised to level 3 at 12:45 a.m. on the 16th, took over the integrated command headquarters from the Yeongdeok county governor, and directed the firefighting efforts throughout the night.

Despite deploying additional equipment including 35 helicopters and firefighting personnel, and implementing resident evacuation and protection measures for homes, the dry weather and dense pine forests combined with strong winds made it difficult to contain the spreading flames.

A total mobilization order was issued to cities and counties within the province, and at sunrise on the 17th, about 2,700 personnel were deployed, including 40 firefighting helicopters, 54 fire engines, 126 fire trucks, 500 firefighting teams, 1,202 public officials, 645 firefighters, and 300 military personnel, to complete the extinguishing operation from air and ground.

Governor Lee Cheol-woo expressed gratitude, saying, “Thanks to the full support of leased helicopters, specialized forest fire prevention and suppression teams, public officials, and firefighters, we were able to prevent greater damage under difficult conditions without any casualties.”

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