The Deputy Minister of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (acting Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety) announced on the 30th, "The large wildfires that have occurred primarily in Gyeongnam and Gyeongbuk provinces since the 21st have been fully extinguished after a total response effort."
The Deputy Minister officially announced this during a meeting of the Central Disaster Headquarters held at the Gyeongbuk Province Disaster Safety Situation Room, noting, "This wildfire is estimated to have caused the largest scale of damage in terms of both casualties and property losses in history."
According to the Central Disaster Headquarters, there were a total of 75 casualties, including 30 fatalities. The area affected by the wildfire is estimated to be over 48,000 hectares.
More than 3,000 dwellings were burned down, with damage to 30 national heritage sites and over 2,000 agricultural facilities, resulting in significant property damage.
The Deputy Minister expressed regret, stating, "The sites affected by the wildfire are far more devastating than expected, and the sense of loss and pain experienced by the disaster victims who have lost their homes is beyond words."
The government will utilize public institution training centers and private accommodation facilities as temporary shelters for disaster victims to ensure their stability and prompt return to daily life, and will install temporary modular homes in close proximity to their livelihoods.
Emergency living stabilization support funds will be rapidly provided through local governments to disaster victims whose damages have been confirmed, and psychological and medical assistance will also be provided alongside.
Since the occurrence of this wildfire incident, about 10,000 volunteers participated in recovery efforts and support for disaster victims by the day prior on the 29th. Approximately 55 billion won in donations has been raised through organizations such as the Korean National Disaster Relief Association.
The Deputy Minister stated, "A wildfire like this one, which has never been experienced before, could occur again at any time, so prevention and thorough preparedness are necessary," promising strict initial response measures, including regular field inspections of wildfire risk areas and pre-positioning of firefighting personnel and equipment.
Additionally, he emphasized that surveillance of wildfires will be tightly monitored using advanced equipment such as drones, and community patrols with local residents will be strengthened, stating, "To reflect the rapidly spreading nature of wildfires, we will meticulously establish pre-evacuation plans for residents."