From the 21st, more than 40 wildfires occurred across the country, primarily in Gyeongsangnam-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do, over three days. As a result, a total of 4 people lost their lives by the 23rd, and a forest the size of 10,900 soccer fields was burned.
According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 23rd, as of 9 p.m. that day, medium and large wildfires occurred in five areas: Jinju in Gyeongnam, Uiseong in Gyeongbuk, Ulju in Ulsan, Gimhae in Gyeongnam, and Okcheon in Chungbuk, where firefighting efforts were underway.
The headquarters reported that 7,778 hectares of forest were burned due to simultaneous wildfires across the country. Most ignition sources were man-made disasters caused by welding sparks.
The simultaneous wildfires also caused significant human casualties. During firefighting efforts for a wildfire that broke out in Sacheon-myeon, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, on the afternoon of the 21st, 4 individuals, including 3 members of the regional wildfire response team from Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, and 1 supervising official, lost their lives while trapped in a high altitude. Five members of the response team who were extinguishing the fire and 1 resident fleeing also suffered injuries or inhaled smoke. A total of 90 dwellings were destroyed, and 20 sustained partial damage. A total of 1,988 people were moved to nearby evacuation centers. The wildfire in Sancheong, which has continued for three days, has a containment rate of 71%.
The wildfire in Uiseong, the largest in scale, has continued for two days since the 22nd, ignited by the carelessness of visitors. In this area, flames spread amid strong winds of 17.9 meters per second, strong enough to uproot signs, resulting in a containment rate of only 60% as of 9 p.m. on the 23rd. Additionally, the strong winds blowing from the valley to the mountaintop further complicated firefighting efforts.
In Ulju-gun, a wildfire that broke out on the 22nd has continued for two days, prompting the issuance of level 3 wildfire alert. The containment rate is 72%. Additionally, wildfires have also occurred in Gimhae in Gyeongnam, Hamyang, and Okcheon in Chungbuk. The containment rate is 96% in Gimhae and 100% in Hamyang and Okcheon.
The headquarters has deployed 111 firefighting helicopters at the command of aerial leadership, involving local governments, fire agencies, police, and military. Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Minister of Economy and Finance, noted that "disaster emergencies have been declared in Ulsan, Gyeongbuk, and Gyeongnam, and Gyeongnam Sancheong, which suffered extensive damage, has been designated as a special disaster area," adding, "Emergency support for the disaster safety special grant will be provided to the three provinces where disaster emergencies have been declared."