“Prepare Temporary Housing Immediately for Wildfire Victims,” Orders Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province

On the 6th Situation Meeting, Instructions Given for Selecting Wildfire Special Suppression Team and Purchasing Extra-Large Helicopter

Proposal to Minister of the Interior and Safety for 'Special Disaster Area Declaration' and Establishment of 'Spe

Gyeongbuk Province Wildfire Countermeasure On-site Meeting.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dong-guk Lee] Gyeongbuk Province has been fighting a three-day battle to extinguish the wildfire and prevent damage after a fire broke out in Ducheon-ri, Buk-myeon, Uljin, at around 11:17 a.m. on the 4th.

The Uljin area has been under a dry weather warning since the 22nd of last month, with a large wildfire advisory issued. On this day, the wildfire rapidly spread as it was carried by strong winds with gusts exceeding 13 m/s, igniting the dense pine forest.

When the wildfire occurred, Gyeongbuk Province maintained cooperation with Uljin County and launched an all-out response, but the intensifying strong winds outpaced efforts, causing the fire to expand into a large-scale wildfire.

The Korea Forest Service issued a level 3 wildfire alert and a national crisis warning of ‘Severe.’ Governor Lee Cheol-woo took command from the Uljin County Governor and mobilized all available firefighting helicopters and 50% of the provincial reserve firefighting personnel to fully commit to extinguishing the fire.

However, the firefighting site experienced south winds with maximum gusts exceeding 25 m/s, causing the fire to spread from Uljin, Gyeongbuk to Samcheok, Gangwon, spanning two provinces. Consequently, command of the wildfire site was transferred from the Gyeongbuk Governor to the Korea Forest Service Chief.

At 10 p.m. on the 4th, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters declared a ‘disaster situation’ in Uljin, Gyeongbuk, and Samcheok, Gangwon, upon the recommendation of the Korea Forest Service Chief, who was the head of the on-site integrated command center.

Upon the wildfire outbreak, Gyeongbuk Province, together with Uljin County and related agencies, issued an emergency evacuation order for 22 villages across 3 towns and townships near the fire and evacuated residents to safe locations. So far, no casualties have been reported.

Governor Lee Cheol-woo held a morning situation meeting on the 6th and instructed, “Prepare more than 100 temporary housing units immediately for the displaced people by searching nationwide, and establish support measures for residents whose homes were damaged.” He also ordered, “Consider selecting a specialized wildfire suppression team (50 members) and purchasing two ultra-large helicopters owned by the province.”

The governor said, “I urge that protecting residents be the top priority and express my gratitude for the full support from the specialized wildfire prevention and suppression teams of the cities and counties, public officials, and firefighters nationwide. We will do our utmost to extinguish the wildfire early without any casualties.”

Governor Lee Cheol-woo has been stationed at the Uljin wildfire site for three days since the 4th, personally leading the firefighting efforts.

He has visited local residents and displaced persons directly, sharing their pain and offering comfort while promising to prepare damage countermeasures and support plans.

On the afternoon of the 5th, Governor Lee proposed to Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (head of the Central Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters), who visited the wildfire site at 2 p.m., to declare a special disaster zone for facility restoration and residents’ livelihood stabilization, and to support the establishment of a provincial-level specialized firefighting team.

As of the morning of the 6th, the wildfire has caused forest damage over 11,661 hectares, with 383 facilities damaged, including 346 completely burned houses, warehouses, and factories, 15 partially burned, and 22 partially damaged locations.

Additionally, 673 residents from the Uljin area have been evacuated to 9 different locations, and 585 displaced persons are temporarily residing in 10 locations, including the Uljin County Sports Center, Noeum Elementary School, and village halls.

As of the morning of the 6th, 4,934 firefighting personnel (1,200 public officials, 969 firefighters, 1,171 military personnel, and 2,363 others including wildfire suppression teams) and 350 firefighting vehicles (46 helicopters and 304 fire trucks, etc.) have been deployed for firefighting efforts.

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