Fire authorities have begun nighttime suppression to contain a wildfire that started in a low mountain near Geomse-ri, Samnangjin-eup, Miryang, South Gyeongsang. With firefighting helicopters withdrawing at sunset, the pace of containment was reported to be slow.
According to fire authorities on the 23rd, the helicopters deployed to fight the wildfire withdrew at about 6:18 p.m., around sunset. Fire authorities are focusing on halting the spread of the fire with ground personnel. Since the wildfire started, 404 people and 147 pieces of equipment have been deployed.
According to the Korea Forest Service, the affected area is about 64 hectares, and the fire line is about 3.54 kilometers. The containment rate has not been tallied accurately so far.
Miryang City said there have been no casualties so far. As of 8 p.m. the same day, 110 people, including bedbound patients at a convalescent hospital near the wildfire and residents of three villages, had evacuated to their homes and a nearby elementary school.
Fire and forest authorities are concerned about the wildfire spreading. The low mountain where the fire broke out is about 250 meters high, and strong winds averaging 3 meters per second were blowing. Earlier, around 5 p.m., fire authorities issued Level 1 fire response, which mobilizes the entire jurisdictional fire station, and about 40 minutes later invoked the national fire mobilization order. The forest authority also issued Level 1 wildfire spread response at about 5:20 p.m.
On the 21st, a wildfire that broke out in Macheon-myeon, Hamyang County, South Gyeongsang, also spread with strong winds, and the main blaze was contained at about 5 p.m. on the 44th hour. The affected area is 234 hectares, equivalent to 327 soccer fields. One greenhouse and one farm hut were completely destroyed, but there were no casualties.