Two individuals who went missing due to a large wildfire in Sancheong County, Gyeongnam, have been found dead, raising the death toll to four.
According to the firefighting authorities on the 22nd, eight members of the firefighting team from Changnyeong County and one accompanying public official who were deployed to extinguish the fire that broke out in Yasan, Sichang-myeon, Sancheong County the day before were isolated by the flames.
On that day around 5 p.m., the firefighting authorities discovered two bodies near the 7th ridge and recovered the remains.
In an effort to locate the remaining firefighting team member and one public official, they used a Global Positioning System (GPS) among other means, but they were found dead.
The firefighting authorities transported four severely injured individuals and one with minor injuries to nearby hospitals. Including a resident who received medical attention after inhaling smoke during the evacuation process the day before, the total number of injured is six.
The police plan to confirm the identities of the deceased and transfer the bodies to a hospital. Two bodies were unidentifiable due to damage from the flames. Changnyeong County intends to prepare a funeral hall in consultation with the bereaved families.
The wildfire began around 3:26 p.m. the day before. Although forestry authorities attempted to extinguish it, the flames spread with the wind, prompting a level three wildfire warning around 6:40 p.m.
A level three warning is issued when the estimated affected area exceeds 100 hectares (ha), the average wind speed exceeds 7 m/s, and the estimated extinguishing time exceeds 24 hours.
The area affected by this wildfire is 652 ha, with approximately 21.7 km of the remaining active fire line. Although the extinguishing rate was recorded at 75% by the morning, it dropped to 30% by 7 p.m. due to the dry atmosphere.
A total of 263 residents from seven villages, including Jeondong and Gudoong, have evacuated. The fire, which has continued for two days, has burned down seven dwellings.
To control the fire, over 1,300 personnel including special firefighting teams, professional firefighting units, public officials, firefighters, police, and military members, along with over 120 pieces of equipment, have been deployed.