Hamyang Macheon-myeon Wildfire Continues for Second Day ... Firefighting Hampered by Strong Winds and Steep Slopes

Governor Park Wansu Stresses "Rapid Containment and Personnel Safety"

Wildfire site in Machon-myeon, Hamyang County, Gyeongnam Province. Provided by Gyeongnam Province.

A wildfire that broke out in Macheon-myeon, Hamyang County, South Gyeongsang Province, has continued for a second day, with the Korea Forest Service and fire authorities carrying on with firefighting operations.

The fire started at around 9:14 p.m. on the 21st on a low mountain near Changwon-ri in Macheon-myeon, Hamyang County.

As the flames spread, driven by strong winds, the forest authorities issued Level 1 of the wildfire spread response at 4:00 a.m. on the 22nd and have been making all-out efforts to contain the blaze.

At 8:55 a.m. that day, Hamyang County sent out a disaster safety text message stating, "The wildfire is spreading in the area of San 23-2, Changwon-ri, Macheon-myeon. Residents of Gyeonbuldong and hikers must immediately evacuate to the Gojung Village Community Center."

As of 1:30 p.m. on the 22nd, the wildfire-affected area was 48 hectares, and the fire line measured 3.23 kilometers, of which 2.13 kilometers had been contained, putting the containment rate at 66 percent at that time.

The Korea Forest Service has deployed 42 firefighting helicopters, 35 firefighting vehicles, and 507 personnel to battle the blaze.

The South Gyeongsang Provincial Government has also mobilized 27 fire headquarters vehicles and 209 personnel to the scene, and is providing an additional seven helicopters to support the firefighting efforts.

In addition, it is focusing on preventing safety accidents involving firefighters and protecting lives by conducting advance inspections of firefighting equipment and establishing an on-site safety management system.

Firefighting efforts are being hampered because the site of the fire is a steep slope and a high-wind area, with strong winds blowing at an average speed of 4.9 meters per second and a maximum instantaneous wind speed of 9.1 meters per second.

South Gyeongsang Governor Park Wansu said, "As dry and strong winds are expected, we will mobilize all available resources and do our utmost to extinguish the fire quickly."

He went on to emphasize, "Above all, we will put the safety of firefighting personnel first and respond thoroughly so that not a single safety accident occurs."

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