The area damaged by wildfires that occurred in Sancheong and Hadong has increased by more than 1.8 times from the initial estimate.
According to the investigation results from the Korea Forest Service and the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Joint Disaster Damage Investigation Team on the 21st, the provisional forest damage area in the two regions was totaled at 3,397 hectares (㏊). The damage area in Sancheong was 2,403 ㏊ and in Hadong was 994 ㏊. Earlier, the Korea Forest Service estimated the area impacted by the wildfire during the extinguishment process to be 1,858 ㏊.
The reason for the significant discrepancy between the investigation results and the provisional estimate is attributed to the operational limitations of the fire line observation equipment. It was reported that many areas had no fire lines remaining due to the fire spreading rapidly in the strong wind.
The Korea Forest Service plans to establish a comprehensive monitoring system utilizing various observation methods such as satellites, drones, and fixed-wing aircraft to prepare for large-scale wildfires in the future.
The Korea Forest Service also conducted emergency assessments in 101 locations in Sancheong and Hadong, where secondary damage from landslides or soil runoff is a concern, starting from the 11th. Based on the investigation results, it has decided to begin emergency restoration and the removal of damaged trees.