The police concluded that the cause of the large wildfire that occurred in Daegu's Buk-gu area on April 4th was an act of arson caused by a cigarette. A man in his 60s identified as a suspect in the case has been referred to prosecutors.
According to the police on the 27th, the Daegu Gangbuk Police Station has sent a man in his 60s, referred to as Mr. A, who is accused of violating the Forestry Protection Act by igniting a wildfire on Hamji Mountain with a cigarette, without physical detention.
The police reportedly secured closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage showing Mr. A ascending Hamji Mountain for work at the time. Mr. A was affiliated with a private forestry company based in Gyeongbuk. The police found cigarette butts in the area of the ignition point, and reports indicate that Mr. A's DNA was detected.
However, the police were unable to secure CCTV footage illuminating the ignition point or eyewitness accounts that Mr. A smoked a cigarette near the ignition point. Mr. A is currently said to be denying the allegations.
The Hamji Mountain wildfire occurred on April 28th and burned 310 hectares of forest over four days until May 2nd. The area of 310 hectares is equivalent to about 434 international standard football fields (7,140 square meters each).