Sancheong Wildfire Continues for 10th Day ... Thick Layer of Fallen Leaves Hampers Containment Efforts

Smoke is rising at the wildfire site in Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam. Video provided by Korea Forest Service

The wildfire in Sancheong, Gyeongnam, which broke out on the 21st, has been struggling to be contained for ten days.

According to Gyeongnam Province and the Central Disaster Response Headquarters of the Korea Forest Service, as of 8 a.m. on the 30th, the containment rate of the Sancheong wildfire was recorded at 99%.

Although ground firefighting personnel and equipment were intensively deployed overnight to extinguish the main fire, the challenging terrain and hidden flames beneath thick layers of fallen leaves made the operation difficult, causing the containment rate to drop to 98% as of 5 a.m.

So far, the wildfire-affected area is 1,858 hectares, and the remaining fireline is a total of 0.2 kilometers.

The fire that spread to Jirisan National Park has been brought under control, but it is reported that flames remain in the hills of Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong-gun, where the wildfire originally started.

With wind gusts of 2 to 3 meters per second at the site, a total of 50 firefighting helicopters, 1,473 personnel, and 213 pieces of equipment have been fully mobilized to focus on extinguishing the remaining main fire.

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