Ulsu, Gimhae, and Sancheong Wildfires 'Subside'... Uiseong Wildfire Faces Fierce Struggle

Overnight firefighting efforts and the calming winds have led to a slowdown in wildfires in Ulsan Ulju, Gyeongnam Gimhae, and Sancheong. However, the wildfire in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk is progressing slowly due to continued strong winds.

According to the Korea Forest Service Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 25th, as of 5 a.m., the containment rate of the Gimhae wildfire was 99%, and the Ulju wildfire was 98%. The containment rate for the Sancheong and Hadong wildfires was 88%.

The Korea Forest Service deployed helicopters to the wildfire sites at sunrise on the same day, aiming to extinguish the main fires in the morning.

On the 24th, the third day since the large wildfire broke out in Uiseong-gun, Gyeongbuk, a fire ignited along the riverbank in a village in Ipam-ri, Oksan-myeon, Uiseong-gun, adjacent to the wildfire site. Photo by Yonhap News

The total fire line at the Gimhae wildfire site is 6 km, of which 5.94 km has been contained. The currently active fire line is 0.06 km, and the estimated wildfire-affected area is 97 hectares. The Korea Forest Service deployed two firefighting helicopters, 204 personnel, and 49 firefighting vehicles at sunrise to focus on extinguishing the main fire. The maximum wind speed in the Gimhae area is 1?2 m/s.

In Ulju, the wildfire-affected area is estimated at 435 hectares, with a total fire line of 16.5 km. Of the entire fire line, 16.1 km has been contained, and 0.4 km is currently active. The Korea Forest Service has deployed 14 firefighting helicopters, 2,414 personnel, and 74 firefighting vehicles to the Ulju wildfire site to carry out firefighting activities. The maximum wind speed at the site is 7 m/s.

At the Sancheong and Hadong wildfire sites, 32 helicopters were deployed at sunrise. Firefighting personnel number 1,415, and 215 firefighting vehicles have been dispatched to combat the wildfires. The wildfire-affected area is estimated at 928 hectares in Sancheong and 629 hectares in Hadong, totaling 1,557 hectares. The total fire line is 54 km, of which 47 km has been contained. The remaining fire lines are 4 km in Sancheong and 3 km in Hadong, totaling 7 km. The maximum wind speed is 3?5 m/s, which is relatively calmer compared to the previous day’s 10?16 m/s.

In Uiseong, relatively strong winds are reported to be causing difficulties in firefighting efforts. Currently, wind speeds of 7?13 m/s are blowing in the Uiseong area.

The wildfire-affected area is 12,565 hectares, estimated to have expanded by about 3,800 hectares since the previous evening. The scale of the wildfire-affected area in Uiseong is understood to be the third largest wildfire damage after the April 2000 wildfires in Gangwon Gangneung, Donghae, Samcheok, and Goseong (23,913 hectares) and the March 2022 wildfires in Gyeongbuk Uljin and Gangwon Gangneung, Donghae, and Samcheok (20,523 hectares).

As of 5 a.m., the total fire line of the Uiseong wildfire is 214.5 km, with 118.2 km of the fire line contained by forest authorities. Currently, 96.3 km of the fire line is still active.

The Korea Forest Service Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters stated, "During the night, ground firefighting personnel were deployed at the wildfire sites to prevent the fire from spreading toward residential areas," adding, "Currently, firefighting is underway with resources such as helicopters deployed at sunrise."

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