On the morning of the 25th, the fourth day of the fire in Uiseong, the fire spreads to the back mountain of private houses in Gilan-myeon, Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. /Courtesy of News1

A forest fire that broke out in Uiseong County, Gyeongbuk, on the 22nd is spreading to nearby municipalities due to strong winds. The city of Andong, located to the north, has advised all residents to evacuate to safe areas. The flames have also spread to Cheongsong County to the east.

Andong sent a disaster text message to residents at around 5:08 p.m. on the 25th, stating that the forest fire is spreading throughout the area, urging that "all citizens should evacuate to safe places, and those who have evacuated should stay safe there."

The Uiseong forest fire spread to Andong the day before and continued to expand this day due to strong winds. The Andong city announced in a disaster text around 3:31 p.m. that the fire is spreading to Pungcheon-myeon. Pungsan-myeon, adjacent to Pungcheon-myeon, is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Hahoe Folk Village and Byeongsan Seowon. Forest authorities explained that the area affected by the fire is about 10 kilometers away from Hahoe Folk Village in a straight line. Andong has instructed residents of Hahoe Folk Village to evacuate to the village of Jowoori, located across the Nakdong River, about 1 kilometer away.

On the morning of the 25th, the fourth day of the fire in Uiseong, while the fire spreads to the back mountain of private houses in Gilan-myeon, Andong, a family evacuates and a dog stays to guard the vacant house. /Courtesy of News1

The Uiseong forest fire spread to Dochigol and Banggwangsan in Cheongsong County at around 5:29 p.m. The county has ordered residents of Pacheon-myeon and Jinbo-myeon to evacuate to safe areas. Earlier, in preparation for the fire's spread, residents in nearby areas were requested to evacuate to the Cheongsong National Sports Center, Sono Belle Cheongsong Resort, and the Forest Comprehensive Training Center.

Train operations are also disrupted due to the forest fire that started in Uiseong. According to Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), the flames spread to near the Hahwa Tunnel between Andong and Uiseong Station around 3:23 p.m.

KORAIL suspended train operations on the section between Yeongju Station and Gyeongju Station. The suspended services include three high-speed trains and four regular trains. KORAIL stated that it will transport passengers using buses on this section.

On the 22nd, as the fire in Uiseong spread eastward to Andong, officials from the North Gyeongsang Fire Department inspect the Manhyujeong Pavilion in Mugye-ri, Gilan-myeon, Andong on the 25th. The Manhyujeong was built in 1706 by the scholar Kim Gye-haeng to spend his old age and is designated as a cultural heritage site in North Gyeongsang Province. /Courtesy of Gyeongbuk Fire Department

Korea Expressway Corporation has been blocking both directions of the section from Andong Junction (JCT) to Cheongsong Interchange (IC) on the Seosan-Yeongdeok Expressway since 3:30 p.m. The corporation had blocked passage on this expressway between Buk Uiseong IC and Cheongsong IC since 12:15 a.m. due to heavy smoke resulting from the forest fire. As the affected area increased, the blocked sections were expanded.

Korea Water Resources Corporation plans to increase the discharge from Seongdeok Dam in Cheongsong County to 1.8 tons per second starting at 5:30 p.m. on this day to respond to the Uiseong forest fire. The water resources company sent safety guidance text messages at around 4:21 p.m. to residents, advising that the water level in the rivers is expected to rise due to the discharge from Seongdeok Dam, and urged those nearby to evacuate to safe places.