As of the morning of the 27th, the wildfire that broke out in Hadong-ri, Sangnam-myeon, Inje-gun, on the 26th, has reached a firefighting rate of 98%. Authorities decided to deploy personnel and equipment for the primary fire extinguishing efforts that morning.
The Inje wildfire occurred around 1:18 p.m. the previous day in a hillside near the 7th tunnel of the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway in Hanam-ri, Sangnam-myeon, Inje.
Authorities began firefighting operations the day before, but they were unable to contain the main fire. They withdrew helicopters at sunset the previous day but redeployed them at sunrise to resume firefighting operations. The current firefighting rate is 98%. Of the total fire line of 5.6 km, 100 m remains. The area affected by the wildfire is estimated to be 69 hectares (690,000 m²).
Although the flames have significantly diminished, there are strong winds of 13 m/s at the fire point, raising concerns about rekindling. Authorities plan to deploy 705 personnel and 144 pieces of equipment for the primary fire extinguishing operations that morning.
The day before, authorities elevated the wildfire response stage from level 1 to level 2. Stage 2 is issued when the expected damage area is between 50 and 100 hectares, with an average wind speed of 7 to 11 m/s, and with an estimated extinguishing time of less than 10 to 48 hours.
The day before, authorities evacuated 243 residents of Girin-myeon in Inje-gun to the Girin Indoor Gymnasium. They also advised 129 residents from 19 villages in the Seomyeon area of Yangyang-gun, located nearby, to evacuate to the local community center and the National Sports Center.
Additionally, the section of the Seoul-Yangyang Expressway from the Yangyang Junction to the Inje Interchange, covering 35 km, and the section from Donghongcheon Interchange to the Yangyang Junction, covering 73 km toward Yangyang, have been fully blocked.