The government is promoting a plan to classify wildfires as "ultra-fast wildfires" when winds exceed 20 meters per second and to respond actively. Until now, wildfires have been defined based on the affected area, focusing on scale, but moving forward, winds that have a significant impact on wildfire spread will also be considered a key factor.
Previously, a wildfire that started in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, in March spread at a speed of 8.2 kilometers per hour driven by winds exceeding 27 meters per second, resulting in 27 deaths. The government plans to designate areas at risk that could be reached by the fire within eight hours to guide residents to evacuate when such ultra-fast wildfires occur in the future.
◇ Determine 'ultra-fast wildfire' based on wind speed during a wildfire
On the 16th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced a plan to improve the resident evacuation system in preparation for ultra-fast wildfires in collaboration with relevant organizations such as the Korea Forest Service and the Korea Meteorological Administration.
First, the government plans to establish standards for "ultra-fast wildfires." When a wildfire occurs, if the maximum instant wind speed is expected to exceed 20 meters per second, it will be defined as an ultra-fast wildfire.
Applying this standard means that the wildfire that occurred in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, last March is also included as an ultra-fast wildfire. At that time, the maximum instant wind speed was 27 meters per second. The fire spread at an average speed of 8.2 kilometers per hour. This is the fastest speed recorded since the Korea Forest Service began its analysis.
Large wildfires that occurred in the 2000s also qualify as ultra-fast wildfires. During the wildfires in Gangwon province, including Goseong, Sokcho, Gangneung, Donghae, and Inje, in 2019, winds reached 35.6 meters per second. Additionally, the Yongyang wildfire in 2005 (32 meters per second), the Uljin-Samcheok wildfire in 2022 (27 meters per second), the Gangneung-Samcheok wildfire in 2017 (23 meters per second), and the Samcheok wildfire along the east coast in 2000 (23.7 meters per second) are included. These wildfires burned areas ranging from 973 hectares to a maximum of 23,794 hectares.
Won Myeong-soo, head of the National Forest Satellite Information Utilization Center, noted, "Abroad, the term mega fire is often used based on the affected area, but ultra-fast wildfire is a term uniquely created in Korea considering the strong winds." He further stated, "The scale of wildfires that have occurred in the United States, Canada, and Australia is incomparable to that of Korea."
◇ It is difficult to prevent wildfire casualties if wind predictions are not made
The government stated that it did not anticipate the spread speed of the recent wildfire. It was unable to predict how strongly the winds would blow when the wildfire occurred. Hong Jong-wan, head of the disaster management division of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "Experts have previously stated that preparation for weather anomalies is necessary, but the patterns and spread speed of this wildfire exceeded expectations," adding, "We must acknowledge that there were some limits to the existing response system."
To minimize casualties, the government has decided to set wildfire hazard zones conservatively. When fire line information is secured, areas that could be reached by fire within five hours will be designated as hazard zones to ensure that residents evacuate immediately. Additionally, regions that may be affected within eight hours will be designated as potential hazard zones to allow for pre-evacuation or evacuation preparation.
If fire line information is not secured, these boundaries will be widened. In the absence of fire line information, the wildfire spread speed of 8.2 kilometers per hour from the Uiseong wildfire will be applied to designate hazard zones at 41 kilometers, and potential hazard zones at 65.6 kilometers.
In addition, during the occurrence of ultra-fast wildfires, vulnerable facilities such as nursing homes and facilities for the disabled will be evacuated in advance. Furthermore, if there are concerns about the spread of wildfires at night, pre-evacuation will be completed before sunset.
Lee Han-kyung, head of the disaster management division of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, "In the case of ultra-fast wildfires like the recent Gyeongbuk wildfire, rapid evacuation is the top priority," and urged citizens to evacuate quickly for their safety, even if it may be inconvenient when evacuation orders are issued.