As of the 30th, it has been 10 days since the forest fire broke out in Sancheong, Gyeongnam, and the forest authorities are conducting overnight fire suppression work in the Jirisan area, where flames are still present.
According to the forest authorities, the current suppression rate remains at 99%, the same as it was at 6 p.m. the previous day.
The forest authorities focused on suppressing the main fire by deploying 55 helicopters, 1,598 personnel, and 224 vehicles simultaneously at sunrise the previous day.
However, the area where the flames were formed was steep, reaching an inclination of 40 degrees, and there were no access roads, making it difficult to deploy personnel and equipment, such as aerial firefighting teams, special firefighting teams, and high-performance fire trucks.
Additionally, the leaf layer depth reached up to 100 cm, with a weight of 300-400 tons per hectare, causing the wildfire to spread by using the leaf layer as fuel, demonstrating a 'subterranean' phenomenon.
Under these adverse conditions, the firefighting crew struggled hard but ultimately failed to suppress the main fire.
After sunset, the forest authorities deployed 996 personnel and 201 pieces of equipment and began nighttime response efforts.
Currently, the wildfire scene in the Jirisan region has seen some rekindling of embers that had subsided overnight, and helicopters are expected to be deployed again in the morning.
The affected area of the wildfire is 1,858 hectares, with a total fire line of 71.2 km, and the remaining length in the Jirisan region is estimated to be about 0.4 km.
Casualties from the wildfire include 4 deaths and 10 injuries, totaling 14 people.
The evacuation of disaster victims has also prolonged, with 528 evacuees currently staying in 7 locations, including Donguibogam Village in Sancheong.
Moreover, 28 dwellings, 2 factories, and 2 religious facilities, among other structures, have been damaged.