The East Coast wildfire was finally extinguished in regarding 213 hours, leaving a record of the longest and largest damage ever recorded on the 13th. The forest authorities took the main fire in Uljin and Samcheok at 9 a.m. on the same day and switched to a fire extinguishing system. It has been 213 hours and 43 minutes since the wildfire in Uljin at 11:17 am on the 4th.
The forest fire, which started in Ducheon-ri, Buk-myeon, Uljin-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, spread north to Samcheok, Gangwon with strong winds, and continued to threaten residential areas such as Uljin-eup and the Geumgangsong colony in the south once more the next day. In the meantime, the forestry authorities have focused on extinguishing forest fires by receiving helicopters, equipment, and manpower from the military, firefighting, and local governments. At the end of the battle, it was difficult to extinguish the fire in Sogwang-ri and Eungbong Mountain, where the Geumgangsong colony is located, as the fire was strong and the mountain was rough. The rain that day also played a big part in the evolution. Although the forest fire has been completely extinguished, the Korea Forest Service is preparing for a possible re-ignition by putting 20 helicopters and 6 thermal imaging drones on standby at the scene.
The fire was recorded as the longest-running wildfire since 1986 when related statistics were compiled. It surpassed the 191 hours of wildfire on the east coast of Gangwon-do in 2000.
The extent of forest damage is also unprecedented. The estimated total area of damage, including the previously evolved Gangneung and East Seas, is 24,940 ha. This is higher than the 23,794 hectares of the wildfire on the east coast in April 2000, which had the largest amount of damage so far.
By region, 18,463 hectares in Uljin, 2369 hectares in Samcheok, 1900 hectares in Gangneung, and 2100 hectares in the East Sea were damaged. This is equivalent to 41.2% of Seoul’s area. It is the size of 86 Yeouido (290 hectares, inside the Yunjung-ro embankment) and 34,930 soccer fields (0.714 hectares). Another 908 facilities were damaged. 388 houses, 193 factories and warehouses, 227 agricultural facilities, and 90 religious facilities were damaged. As a result, 438 people were displaced.
As the flames are managed, support for the victims and forest restoration is expected to begin in earnest. Earlier, the government declared Uljin, Samcheok, Gangneung, and the East Sea as special disaster zones. Then, it announced support measures to provide temporary prefabricated housing for one year free of charge to the victims of the affected area and to reduce health insurance premiums. The availability and level of direct cash support, such as relief funds, living expenses, and housing, will be decided following the fire suppression and damage investigation are complete.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are also expected to accelerate. Authorities believe that the Uljin and Samcheok wildfires are highly likely to be true stories caused by cigarette fires thrown from vehicles, and are gathering investigative powers, such as summoning drivers.
[울진 = 우성덕 기자 / 삼척 = 이상헌 기자 / 박제완 기자]
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