Two DAEWON members died while suppressing a large forest fire that occurred in Sancheong, Gyeongnam.
According to Changnyeong County on the 22nd, two members of the forest fire suppression team died on the 21st while extinguishing a fire in Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong. The two have been out of contact.
They belonged to Changnyeong County, and personal details such as their ages have not been confirmed. Police and fire authorities plan to retrieve the two bodies at the scene and investigate the cause of death.
The fire broke out around 3:26 p.m. the day before. Forest authorities immediately started extinguishing the fire, but as the flames grew, a 'stage 3 fire alert' was issued around 6:40 p.m.
The area affected by the forest fire is 275 hectares, and currently, 213 residents from seven villages, including Jeomdong and Gudong, in Sicheon-myeon have evacuated to the Korea Scholarship Culture Research Institute.
Currently, more than 1,300 personnel, including special firefighting teams, professional firefighters, public officials, fire and police officers, and military personnel, along with over 120 pieces of equipment, have been deployed to the scene.