Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, "Resident and Evolution Personnel Safety is Important"

Condolences for Deceased Firefighter, Measures to Prevent Recurrence Established

"Since residents' safety is the top priority, thoroughly check the compliance with evacuation orders."

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, said this on the 12th while directing the wildfire suppression site in Hwagae-myeon, Hadong-gun.

"Maintain communication with ground firefighting personnel and continuously monitor the safety situation," he also said.

He urged that helicopters be deployed prioritizing areas where urgent firefighting is needed due to the fire's impact, while paying close attention to safety.

According to Gyeongnam Province, 74 people including residents of Uisin Village and Dancheon Village in Hwagae-myeon and tourists evacuated to nearby Sinheung Village Community Center and relatives' homes.

The province and Hadong-gun requested residents to refrain from going out through disaster broadcasts and emergency texts, and deployed public officials to support evacuated residents with relief supplies.

On the 12th, 28 helicopters, 34 command and firefighting vehicles, 18 fire trucks, and 1,053 personnel including firefighters, public officials, soldiers, and firefighting teams were mobilized at the site.

At sunrise, helicopters and firefighting personnel who had withdrawn overnight were redeployed, but visibility was poor due to fog, and firefighting was difficult because the site was far from the water intake source and there were many steep slopes.

Governor Park Wansu of Gyeongnam Province is directing the wildfire suppression site in Hwagae-myeon, Hadong-gun.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

Governor Park emphasized, "To protect precious forests from wildfires, proactive environmental management is necessary to prepare for disaster situations, such as securing water intake sources like check dams, rather than just protecting the forest unconditionally."

He added, "Since this is a serious time with wildfires occurring in Hadong following the Hapcheon wildfire, I hope all residents will cooperate closely in wildfire prevention."

Governor Park expressed condolences upon hearing the news of a metropolitan wildfire suppression team member from Jinju City who collapsed due to cardiac arrest and passed away on the night of the 11th.

"I pray for the repose of the deceased who lost their precious life while performing wildfire suppression duties on a holiday and extend my condolences to the bereaved family," he said.

Gyeongnam Province plans to discuss funeral procedures and support with Jinju City and the bereaved family and prepare measures to prevent recurrence so that the same incident does not happen again at wildfire sites.

The wildfire in Hwagae-myeon, Hadong-gun, where the forestry authorities issued a level 2 wildfire alert at 50 minutes past noon on the 11th, saw firefighting speed up as rain began falling around 11:30 a.m. on the 12th.

As of noon on the 12th, the authorities declared the main fire extinguished, and the estimated wildfire damage area is 91 hectares.

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