Main Inje Wildfire Contained After 20 Hours, 73 Hectares of Forest Damaged (Comprehensive)

The wildfire that broke out in Inje-gun, Gangwon Province on the 26th was mostly extinguished after about 20 hours. Once the remaining embers are fully extinguished, the Level 2 wildfire alert issued the previous day is also expected to be lifted.

According to the forestry and fire authorities, as of 9:00 a.m. on the 27th, the main fire had been brought under control, and six helicopters, 105 personnel, and 11 pieces of equipment were deployed to mop up residual embers and monitor for flare-ups. Authorities estimate that 73 hectares (730,000 square meters) of forest were damaged by the wildfire. There were no casualties or property damage.

With the main fire extinguished, all 254 residents of Girin-myeon, Inje-gun, who had evacuated to locations such as the Girin Indoor Gymnasium the previous day, returned home. Thirty residents from 19 villages in Seomyeon, Yangyang-gun, which was designated as a precautionary area, also returned.

On the 27th, a wildfire suppression helicopter was conducting firefighting operations on a mountain near Hanam-ri, Sangnam-myeon, Inje-gun, Gangwon Province. Photo by Yonhap News

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Traffic on certain sections of the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway, which had been restricted due to the wildfire, also resumed. The Gangwon Regional Headquarters of Korea Expressway Corporation reopened a 35-kilometer section from the Yangyang Interchange to the Inje Interchange toward Seoul, and a 73-kilometer section from the Donghongcheon Interchange to the Yangyang Interchange toward Yangyang, starting at 8:25 a.m. on this day.

Once the mop-up of remaining embers is complete, the Level 2 wildfire alert issued the previous day is expected to be lifted. A Level 2 wildfire alert is issued when the expected damage area is between 50 and 100 hectares, the average wind speed is 7 to 11 meters per second, and the expected suppression time is between 10 and 48 hours.

This wildfire began at around 1:18 p.m. on the 26th in a forested area near the Sangnam 7 Tunnel on the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway, Hanam-ri, Sangnam-myeon, Inje.

Authorities deployed 35 helicopters, 705 personnel, and 144 pieces of equipment at sunrise, around 5:30 a.m. on this day, continuing their firefighting efforts from the previous day.

Authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire, focusing on the possibility of human negligence rather than natural causes, as the initial ignition point was close to residential and pension complexes and the flames intensified near a pile of rocks.

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