A forest fire that broke out in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province, has continued for two days, and forest authorities announced they will mobilize all efforts to control the main fire (large flames) by the morning of the 22nd.
According to forest authorities, the fire suppression rate was about 40% as of 5 a.m. on the same day, for the forest fire that occurred the previous day in Sincheon-ri, Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong-gun. Currently, the area affected by the fire is about 130 hectares, with 9.2 kilometers of the total 15.4 km length of the fire line still remaining.
As the risk of the flames spreading to nearby villages increases, 213 residents from seven villages, including Jeondong and Gudong in Sicheon-myeon, have evacuated to the Seonbi Culture Research Institute. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported so far.
A total of 1,092 personnel, including the Special Firefighting Team of the Korea Forest Service, fire departments, police, and military, have been deployed for the firefighting operation. Starting at 6:30 a.m., as day broke, 34 helicopters owned or leased by the Korea Forest Service, Fire Department, South Gyeongsang Province, and the Ministry of National Defense were put into full-scale aerial firefighting.
The current forest fire broke out around 3:28 p.m. on the 21st, and forest authorities issued a Level 3 alert, the highest response level, at 6:40 p.m., approximately three hours after the fire started. This is the first time this year that a Level 3 response has been issued. Authorities are focusing their investigation on the possibility that sparks from a brushcutter used in a nearby area caused the fire.
A forest authority official noted, "The current goal is to contain the main fire by morning," and stated, "We plan to accelerate firefighting efforts by mobilizing all helicopters."