On the 26th, internet line restoration work is in progress at the Maejung intersection in Yeongdeok-eup, Yeongdeok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do. /News1

The wildfire that started in the Yeongnam region on the 21st has rapidly spread, affecting infrastructure. Road access has been halted across various areas in the Gyeongbuk region, and railway operations were temporarily suspended before resuming. Electricity supplies were also cut off, and mobile communication was disrupted, leading the government to order disaster roaming for the first time.

According to the Korea Expressway Corporation on the 26th, as of 2 p.m., traffic is fully restricted in both directions on the Seosan-Yeongdeok Expressway between the Dong Sangju Interchange (IC) and the Yeongdeok IC (105.5 km) and on the Central Expressway between the Uiseong IC and the Yecheon IC (51 km). The sections of road that will be blocked may change depending on the wildfire situation.

The wildfire has damaged the Cheongsong rest area building and the restroom at the Jeomgok rest area on the Seosan-Yeongdeok Expressway. Additionally, fiber optic cables in the Cheongsong and Gunwi areas have burned, causing 29 surveillance cameras on the Seosan-Yeongdeok Expressway and Central Expressway to be unable to transmit video.

On the 26th, a large forest fire that occurred mainly in the Yeongnam region has continued for five days, with an announcement displayed on the screen in the waiting room of Gangneung Station in Gangwon, notifying of temporary train service suspensions on sections such as Donghae~Pohang on the Donghae Line and Yeongju~Yeongcheon on the Central Line. /News1

Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) resumed train services on the Jungang Line between Yeongju, Andong, and Yeongcheon, as well as on the Donghae Line between Donghae and Pohang at 12 p.m. on the same day after operations had been suspended the previous day. KORAIL confirmed that there were no operational issues after completing inspections of the tracks and facilities.

As the Uiseong wildfire spread rapidly due to strong winds, a blackout occurred across the Yeongdeok region around 9:06 p.m. the previous day. Electricity supply was restored to public offices starting at 2 a.m. that day.

Mobile communication services are not being provided smoothly in various areas where the wildfire has occurred. Communication was disrupted from 10:20 p.m. the previous day until 2 a.m. that morning across all of Yeongdeok.

The Ministry of Science and ICT took disaster roaming measures to provide communication services using KT lines after SK Telecom's mobile service was suspended across all areas of Uljin County the previous night.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, SK Telecom’s mobile service was interrupted across Uljin County starting at 10:27 p.m. the previous day. It is presumed that flames spread to SK Telecom's communication lines. However, SK Telecom completed self-restoration around 12:26 a.m. on the 26th, using other lines not affected by the wildfire.

On the 26th afternoon, the area around Ip-am-myeon in Yeongyang-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do is covered with thick smoke from a forest fire. /News1

LG Uplus also experienced difficulties in providing communication services due to the wildfire and power outages starting around 5 p.m. the previous day. KT faced supply difficulties due to power outages from 6 p.m. The communication disruptions occurring in the northern Gyeongbuk region are linked to KEPCO cutting off electricity to prevent incidents from the wildfire.

The Gyeongbuk Cheongsong Pumped Storage Power Plant was shut down around 1 p.m. the previous day as a precaution against potential wildfire spread. Since the previous day, fire hoses have been sprayed in the power plant area to establish a firebreak and monitor the situation. This power plant, completed in 2006, has a capacity of 600 megawatts and can store 7.1 million tons of water in the upper dam and 10.2 million tons in the lower dam.