[Report] "On the day when a pile of fire fell, the hard-built foundation collapsed helplessly"

A Couple Devastated After Losing Their Beekeeping Farm
Fields Burned, Livestock Barns Reduced to Rubble
A Once Close-Knit Village Now Left in Ruins

"A lifetime of hard-earned livelihood vanished overnight."

Mr. Lee Gwang-gu and Mrs. Lee Hun-ok, a couple, are looking at the beekeeping farm reduced to ashes in the Anmangcheon area of Uiseong-gun, Gyeongbuk. Photo by Byeon Seon-jin.

On the 28th, at Anmangcheon area in Uiseong-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, the couple Lee Gwang-gu (66) and Lee Hun-ok (64) were staring at their ruined beekeeping farm with a devastated expression. All essentials for honey harvesting, including 350 beehives, smokers, centrifuges, and vinyl greenhouses, were swept away by the fire, leaving nothing behind.

The Lees, who moved from Daegu to farming in 2021, cannot forget the memory of 4 p.m. on the 25th when the flames engulfed them. Fire sparks rained down like bombs from the sky, turning everything into a sea of fire within minutes. The couple said, "We couldn't take anything with us, thinking only about survival," and tearfully added, "We lived in a farm shack at the beekeeping site, but now we don't know where or how to live."

Although the largest-ever wildfire in Gyeongbuk has been fully extinguished, the suffering of the displaced residents who lost their homes continues.

At around 5 p.m. on the 28th, in Gugye 1-ri village, Danchon-myeon, Uiseong-gun, news of the wildfire being fully extinguished was announced at the village hall by the forestry authorities. However, the pungent smell in the streets made it unbearable to stay without wearing masks. This small village, home to about 60 to 70 elderly residents, was mostly reduced to ruins by the wildfire that started on the 22nd.

A vinyl greenhouse near Gugae 1-ri, Danchon-myeon, Uiseong-gun, Gyeongbuk, completely burned down due to a wildfire. Photo by Byeon Seon-jin

Kang Jeong-gu, pastor of Gugye Church (60), said, "On the evening of the 24th, when the villagers returned, we worked together to extinguish the remaining flames, and we were able to save the chapel." Some buildings used as the church's education center were burned beyond recognition.

Hupyeong-ri village, also damaged by the wildfire, was eerily silent as all residents seemed to have evacuated to shelters. Fields that appeared to have been used for garlic cultivation were charred black, and livestock barns were destroyed by fire, with dead chickens visible. Four to five chickens, having nowhere to go, just stood still. A Jindo dog tied with a leash stared into the void as if anxiously waiting for its owner and occasionally struggled as if pleading for help when people passed by.

Resident Kim Sam-sik (71) said, "Most people evacuated to the Andong gymnasium," and added, "It was a close-knit village, but I am worried that neighbors who lost their homes in the wildfire will leave forever, making the village desolate."

The 'Goun Village,' created as part of a rural revitalization policy by Uiseong County and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, was mostly destroyed by a wildfire. A resident is showing a photo of the village taken before the wildfire occurred. Photo by Byeon Seon-jin

Young farmers who lost their homes to the fire are equally at a loss. 'Goun Village,' created in 2018 with 10 billion KRW investment by Uiseong-gun and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs as part of rural revitalization policies, is a representative example. Out of 25 households, 19 were completely destroyed. The village, with affordable rent of 5 million KRW deposit and 200,000 KRW monthly rent, allowed residents to engage in production, leisure, and community activities within the village, making it popular among young returning farmers.

However, due to the wildfire, the young farmers scattered, some returning to their hometowns. Park Jin-ha (46), a resident of Goun Village who returned to farming four years ago, said, "I was settling in by working as an instructor for senior citizen activity programs in Uiseong, but now I am at a loss about what to do next."

Meanwhile, the thousand-year-old temple Gounsa, which was completely burned down in the wildfire, was a scene of tears. Buddhist devotees were seen wiping their tears repeatedly at Gounsa. Kwon Chun-hee (75), a devotee from Iljik-myeon, Andong City, who has attended Gounsa for over 50 years, choked up saying, "If this isn't a battlefield, then what is?"

Do-ryun, the general affairs director monk of Gounsa, said, "It will take a long time for the wildfire to end and for recovery efforts to be completed," but added, "The government must come together quickly to discuss and ensure restoration happens as soon as possible."

The millennium-old temple and national treasure, Uiseong Gounsa, collapsed due to the wildfire. Photo by Byeon Seon-jin

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, the main fires of the wildfires that swept through the Yeongnam region since the 21st have all been extinguished. The Gyeongbuk wildfire was fully extinguished on the 28th after one week, and the Gyeongnam wildfire was completely put out by 1 p.m. on the 30th after ten days. The last fire to be extinguished was the main fire of the Sancheong wildfire in Gyeongnam, which started at a mountain in Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong, at 3:26 p.m. on the 21st and was extinguished after 213 hours.

The forest damage (tentative) caused by the 11 medium-to-large wildfires that occurred this time was estimated at 48,236.6 hectares. In Yeongnam, where nine wildfires were concentrated, 30 people died and 45 were injured, totaling 75 casualties. The northern Gyeongbuk area, where the fire started in Uiseong and spread to five cities and counties including Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, and Yeongdeok, suffered the greatest damage. 93.7% (45,157 hectares) of the total forest damage was concentrated there. This is twice the size of the 2000 Gangwon-do East Coast wildfire, which was the largest damage recorded before, at 23,794 hectares.

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