In dry weather, wildfires occurred simultaneously across the country. Yesterday (21st) In today’s two days, 9 forest fires centered on Yeongnam and Chungcheong, and the total area of more than 430 soccer fields turned into ashes. 80% of the damage was concentrated in Andong, Yecheon, and Yeongju. The local wildfire, which threatened private houses overnight, was extinguished in 21 hours.
Reporter Park Jae-hyun covered the field.
Both sides of the hillside road were engulfed in flames and turned red.
Vehicles can’t even get ahead with only the emergency lights blinking.
The forest fire, which started yesterday afternoon in Imdong-myeon, Andong, Gyeongbuk, spread rapidly along the ridge under a strong wind with an instantaneous wind speed of 13m/sec.
[손병호/대피 주민 : 50m 앞도 안 보일 정도였어요. 20~30초 사이에 불이 1km 건너가서 불이 다시 타고….]
By midnight, the rate of evolution is only 20%.
The struggle of the ground crew continued when the helicopter could not be lifted.
Building defenses all night to keep the fire from spreading,
[산불 진압대원 : 뒤로 가세요 뒤로. 잠깐만, 불이 올라와 가지고.]
As soon as the day dawned, extensive evolutionary work resumed.
26 helicopters and 1,400 people, including a super-large helicopter capable of holding 8,000 liters of water at a time, were put in.
Fortunately, as the winds subsided, the momentum of the forest fires also weakened, and the fire extinguished around 3:20 pm, 21 hours after it occurred.
Only three places in Gyeongsang-do, such as Andong, Yecheon, and Yeongju, have lost forests larger than Yeouido.
There was damage to some vacant houses and solar power facilities, but no casualties.
This is believed to be the first ignition point of the Andong fire.
There are still traces of fire everywhere, and as you can see behind me, it is only tens of meters away from the private house.
[안동 화재 최초 목격자 : (성묘객 내려가고) 20분 정도 되니까 뭐가 이렇게 올라오는 것 같더라고요. 보니까 연기가 나는 게….]
Police launched an exact investigation into the cause of the fire, including the possible misfire of the tomb.
(Video coverage: Gong Jin-gu, video editing: Lee Hong-myeong, screen provided: Korea Forest Service)
▶ “The bomb burst”… I barely evacuated, but now I’m worried about living
▶ 5 wildfires today… Even dry wind with little rain
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