A wildfire in Sancheong, Gyeongnam, spread to Jirisan National Park.
The Jirisan National Park Gyeongnam Office reported that at around 10 a.m. on the 26th, the wildfire in Sancheong's Sichun-myeon spread into the Jirisan area after crossing the Gukgok Mountain ridge.
In order to prevent the spread of the wildfire into the Jirisan area overnight on the 25th, authorities deployed aerial firefighting teams and special firefighting units to establish firebreaks and focus on firefighting efforts.
With the sunrise on the 26th, helicopters were deployed to combat the fire; however, they could only approach to within 200 meters of Jirisan National Park before the wildfire crossed the Gukgok Mountain ridge around 10 a.m. that day. Once the ridge is crossed, it enters the territory of Jirisan National Park.
In order to prevent the spread of the wildfire into the park, the Jirisan National Park Gyeongnam Office mobilized 160 personnel, including all 130 employees from the Gyeongnam Office, to carry out firefighting operations on the ground starting at 7 a.m. on the 26th.
At 10 a.m. that day, the fire reportedly spread over the Gukgok Mountain ridge, causing staff who were engaged in firefighting efforts at the time to briefly evacuate.