As the wildfires in Sancheong, Gyeongnam, enter their ninth day, the final remaining fire line in the Jirisan area is expected to conclude, but the main firefighting efforts are anticipated to extend into the following day.
According to forestry authorities on the 29th, the firefighting rate was recorded at 99% as of 6 p.m. that day.
The forestry authorities completed the main firefighting operations in Hadong the previous day and enhanced the defensive line in the Jirisan area where the final fire line was formed, concentrating personnel and equipment to continue firefighting efforts.
However, the main firefighting efforts failed before sunset, leading to a transition to nighttime response measures.
At sunrise that day, forestry authorities focused on the main firefighting operations, deploying 55 helicopters, 1,598 personnel, and 224 vehicles.
However, the area where the fire line was formed has a steep incline of up to 40 degrees and has no access roads, making it challenging to deploy personnel and equipment such as aerial firefighting teams, special firefighting teams, and high-performance wildfire vehicles.
Additionally, the depth of the leaf layer reaches up to 100 cm, with a weight of 300 to 400 tons per hectare, and the wildfire showed a 'subterranean' behavior, using the leaf layer as fuel to spread.
The flames have noticeably diminished, but a faint smoke continues to rise in some areas.
After sunset, all helicopters were withdrawn, and the forestry authorities plan to continue overnight firefighting efforts with 996 personnel and 201 pieces of equipment.
The affected area from the wildfire is 1,858 hectares, with a total fire line of 71.2 km, and the remaining length in the Jirisan area is estimated to be about 0.4 km.
There have been 14 casualties due to the wildfires, including 4 fatalities and 10 with serious to minor injuries.