Fire in Daegu affected 260 hectares of woodland -- equivalent to 364 soccer fields

Helicopters dump water on a mountain in Daegu as a wildfire continued for a second day on Tuesday. (Yonhap)
Helicopters dump water on a mountain in Daegu as a wildfire continued for a second day on Tuesday. (Yonhap)

Fire authorities battling another wildfire in Daegu brought it under control around 1 p.m., Tuesday, 23 hours after the blaze was reported to have broken out.

According to the Korea Forest Service, the fire, which began at 2:01 p.m. on Monday at Hamjisan, was declared to be largely extinguished on Tuesday, affecting 260 hectares of woodland -- equivalent to 364 soccer fields.

Though no casualties have been reported so far, the blaze prompted the evacuation of some 2,000 residents in nearby areas. Temporary traffic restrictions were put in place at a nearby highway interchange, which was reopened Tuesday as conditions stabilized.

Three schools, which were also temporarily closed on Tuesday, will also reopen the following day, according to the city’s Education Office.

As damage assessments continue, authorities warned that the scale of damage could rise depending on inspections.

In the meantime, the Daegu City Government stated that it will install a support center to accurately assess the scale of the damage while also providing support for recovery efforts and psychological counseling for affected civilians.

To address concerns about the rise of potential floods due to forest destruction during the summer heavy rain season, the city added that it will also continue emergency forest restoration measures, as well as countermeasures to address possible water pollution caused by ashes from the wildfire.

Firefighters near the scene in Buk-gu, Daegu, are seen catching brief moments of respite, as a massive wildfire near the city was finally brought under control after two days, Tuesday. (Yonhap)
Firefighters near the scene in Buk-gu, Daegu, are seen catching brief moments of respite, as a massive wildfire near the city was finally brought under control after two days, Tuesday. (Yonhap)

Though determining the cause of the fire requires further investigation, fire authorities told the press on site Tuesday that it “seems unlikely that the fire was caused due to natural ignition.” Police investigations were immediately prompted to apprehend the suspect who caused the fire.

During Tuesday’s press briefing, fire authorities added that the location where the fire broke out was not a hiking trail, but was confirmed to be a rural road that residents can use freely. It was designated as a restricted access zone for hikers under an administrative order issued by the Daegu City Government. Only a few residents had been using the road for purposes such as tending vegetable plots.

“Individuals responsible for causing fires in areas restricted under administrative order could face aggravated penalties,” said Lim Ha-soo, a senior official at the Korea Forest Service, on Tuesday.

Due to strong winds ranging between 10 to 15 meters per second and dry conditions, the scale of the fires quickly grew Monday evening. However, as wind speeds minimized to 1 to 3 m/s, the fires were eventually contained with the help of two Surion helicopters, which are capable of extinguishing fires at night unlike other firefighting helicopters.

“As winds weakened significantly overnight, the nighttime firefighting progress greatly improved,” Lim added. “The two Surion helicopters deployed overnight played a major role.”

Moving forward, the Korea Forest Service plans to consider deploying Surion helicopters during nighttime wildfire operations in situations where safety can be ensured.


lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com