As a wildfire that broke out in Gwangyang, South Jeolla, spread, authorities issued a national mobilization order for firefighters. Determining that it would be difficult to respond with firefighting capacity in the disaster area alone, they decided to mobilize firefighting personnel and equipment nationwide.
According to forestry and firefighting authorities on the 21st, a report came in that a fire broke out at a dwellings in Ok-gok-myeon, Gwangyang, at around 3:02 p.m. that day and spread to a nearby forest. Authorities deployed 23 helicopters and 73 vehicles to fight the blaze, but with a dry weather advisory in effect and strong winds blowing, the effort faced difficulties.
At 4:31 p.m. that day, fire authorities raised the response level from level 1 to level 2. Forestry authorities also threw their full weight into nighttime suppression by deploying 352 personnel, including the aerial firefighting unit and the special wildfire disaster suppression unit, and 68 pieces of equipment, including high-performance wildfire suppression vehicles.
However, as suppression efforts struggled, a national mobilization order for firefighters was issued at 8 p.m. An additional 25 vehicles, including specialized wildfire suppression trucks, were deployed from nearby areas such as North Jeolla, Gwangju, and South Gyeongsang. Seven disaster recovery support vehicles were also mobilized.
KIM In-ho, head of the Korea Forest Service, said, "We will mobilize available ground suppression personnel and equipment to switch to a nighttime wildfire posture and pay special attention to the evacuation of residents and the safety of suppression crews to ensure there are no casualties or property damage."
The dwellings where the fire started was completely destroyed, but there have been no reported casualties so far. As of 6 p.m. that day, the affected area was 28 hectares, and 1.5 kilometers of a 2.7-kilometer fire line had been contained. The containment rate was 56%. Gwangyang City reported that 15 hectares of forestland had been damaged so far.
Gwangyang City, via safety text messages, instructed residents of Jeomteo, Myeongju, Singi, and Samjon villages in Ok-gok-myeon to evacuate to the Ok-gok-myeon office; residents of Icheon and Oegeum villages in Jinsang-myeon to their village halls; and residents of Naegeum village to the Baekhak Culture and Welfare Center. A total of 86 people have evacuated so far, including 38 in Ok-gok-myeon and 48 in Jinsang-myeon.
Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung instructed related agencies, including the Korea Forest Service, the National Fire Agency, South Jeolla Province, and Gwangyang City, to make all-out efforts for early suppression. Yoon also called for establishing the regional disaster and safety countermeasures headquarters, evacuating residents, and building preemptive firebreaks.