The Korea Forest Service reported on the 27th that the wildfire, which started in Uiseong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, has spread to nearby localities including Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, and Yeongdeok, with a containment rate of 63% as of 5 p.m. The affected area by the wildfire is 35,697 hectares, and the containment rate stands at 63%.
Administrator Im Sang-seob held a briefing at the command center for the Uiseong wildfire around 7 p.m. and made this announcement. The provisional affected area and containment rates are as follows: Uiseong 12,821 hectares·62%, Andong 5,580 hectares·63%, Cheongsong 5,515 hectares·80%, Yeongyang 4,362 hectares·60%, Yeongdeok 7,819 hectares·55%.
The death toll from the Uiseong wildfire stands at a total of 23, including 1 in Uiseong, 4 in Andong, 3 in Cheongsong, 6 in Yeongyang, and 9 in Yeongdeok. The number of evacuees includes 1,203 in Uiseong, 3,536 in Andong, 810 in Cheongsong, 1,252 in Yeongyang, 1,331 in Yeongdeok, and 37 in Uljin.
On that night, strong winds with a maximum gust speed of 8 to 10 m/s are forecasted, raising concerns that the wildfire may spread. The forest authorities plan to manage the leftover fires around Hahoe Village in Andong and Byungsan Seowon, and build firebreaks to prevent the wildfire from spreading into Andong city. Personnel will be dispatched to Juwangsan National Park in Cheongsong for protection, and in Yeongdeok, eight special firefighting teams will be deployed due to the wide area affected.
Administrator Im noted, "The risk of the wildfire spreading or scattering to other areas has significantly decreased," adding, "We will do our best to extinguish the wildfire quickly and will deploy limited resources like helicopters and ground personnel to areas where there is a risk of spread."
Late in the afternoon that day, a small amount of rain fell in some areas of the five cities and counties affected by the Uiseong wildfire. It rained for about 10 minutes starting around 6:15 p.m. in Uiseong-eup, Uiseong-gun, where the command center is located. The raindrops initially fell sporadically but soon turned into heavier drops; however, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the rainfall was only 1.0 mm, which did not significantly aid in extinguishing the wildfire.
A representative from the Korea Meteorological Administration said, "Rain-bearing clouds are moving eastward near Chungcheong-do," adding, "There is a possibility of raindrops until 3 a.m. the next day, and although the amount may not be large, we hope it will cover a wide area." On the 28th, rain of around 1 mm is forecasted for the Uljin and Yeongdeok regions.
The Korea Forest Service reported at a briefing at 9 a.m. that the containment rate of the Uiseong wildfire was 44.3%. Regarding the increase of 18.7 percentage points during the day, Administrator Im stated, "If helicopter deployments are smooth and firefighting crew activities are not in danger, it is also possible to raise the containment rate by 20 to 30%, or as much as 40 to 50% in a day."
The lowest temperature recorded in Uiseong that morning was 13.1 degrees Celsius, and the highest during the day was 26 degrees. The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasted that the lowest temperature in Uiseong on the 28th would drop to 5 degrees, with the highest expected to be 14 degrees, making it about 10 degrees lower than that day. On the weekend of the 29th to 30th, the morning low will fall below zero.
Administrator Im responded to related questions, stating, "The lower the temperature, the more favorable it is for extinguishing wildfires. The spread of wildfires slows down," and added, "The physical condition of the firefighting personnel also improves."