Forest Authorities: "Gangneung Wildfire Cause Estimated as Power Line Short Circuit... 88% Containment Achieved"

The wildfire in Gangneung is presumed to have been caused by a power line short circuit resulting from a tree breaking.

A broken power line was found at the estimated ignition point of the Gangneung wildfire. Based on this circumstance, the forestry authorities suspect that the cause of the wildfire was the power line disconnection and plan to determine the exact cause through an investigation. Provided by the Korea Forest Service

The Central Wildfire Prevention Headquarters of the Korea Forest Service announced on the 11th that they are investigating the exact cause of the Gangneung wildfire, which is presumed to have been caused by a power line short circuit.

The wildfire first broke out around 8:30 a.m. that day on a hill in Nangok-dong, Gangneung-si, Gangwon-do.

Immediately after the wildfire occurred, the Korea Forest Service dispatched officials from the National Institute of Forest Science and the Korea Wildfire Prevention Technology Association to the site to preserve the suspected ignition point and investigate the cause of the fire.

As of 2 p.m., the investigation revealed that strong winds caused a tree to break and short-circuit a power line, and the resulting electrical sparks are presumed by forest authorities to have led to the wildfire.

This circumstance aligns with the discovery of the short-circuited power line at the site, the ignition point, and multiple testimonies reporting a power outage around the time the wildfire started.

Meanwhile, the police participating in the investigation are collecting the broken and short-circuited wires as evidence and have prohibited access to the suspected ignition area to preserve the scene.

All wildfire-affected areas must be investigated for the cause and damage status according to Article 42 of the Forest Protection Act, and the investigation of the Gangneung wildfire damage area is the responsibility of the Mayor of Gangneung.

The Korea Forest Service plans to hold the party responsible for the cause criminally liable under the Forest Protection Act based on the results of the Gangneung wildfire cause investigation.

Meanwhile, as of 3:30 p.m., the containment rate of the Gangneung wildfire has increased to 88%. Forest authorities aim to extinguish the main fire before sunset.

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