Putting out remaining fires are on-going in the eastern coast of the country
- 5 years ago
South Korean firefighters last night were able to almost entirely extinguish a wildfire on the country's east coast that had destroyed at least 300 homes and buildings.
By area, it had burned more than 500 hectares.
Our Won Jung-hwan has been in Gangwon-do province following the story and he joins us now.
Jung-hwan what's the latest?
Hi Devin, the fire broke out in Goseong and I was there yesterday at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters where officials were coordinating the whole operation.
The fire in that area was put out completely last night,… so I've come here to Gangneung... where they're looking for any fires that remainn.
The fires in Goseong and Sokcho were all put out yesterday, so now in the Gangneung there are still a few smaller ones.
They're focusing on Inje, where less than 10 percent of the fire is still burning.
The good news is that those small fires in Inje didn't grow last night because the wind wasn't too strong.
The landscape there is hilly and mountainous,... so today firefighters will use helicopters to finish the job by sometime this afternoon.
Thank you, Jung-hwan. So once they've put out the fire in Inje, what else needs to be done?
Well, the fire agency lowered its fire alert from the highest level yesterday, but officials are still looking out for any change in the wind speed or dryness that could spark another fire.
But the most important thing is to help the people who've been affected.
There are still more than a hundred people staying in provisional shelters across Gangwon-do province.
There are lots of volunteers and companies helping them right now.
The government has also been ordered to pay special attention to those who lost their homes... with support like daily necessities, medical treatment and psychological counseling if necessary.
And finally, the cause of the fire needs to be investigated.
In Goseong, witnesses said they saw and heard an explosion from a telephone pole, but the Korea Electric Power Corporation said the switch on the pole was unlikely to explode on its own.
They suspect a spark was from exposed wires might have ignited dust in the dry air.
By area, it had burned more than 500 hectares.
Our Won Jung-hwan has been in Gangwon-do province following the story and he joins us now.
Jung-hwan what's the latest?
Hi Devin, the fire broke out in Goseong and I was there yesterday at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters where officials were coordinating the whole operation.
The fire in that area was put out completely last night,… so I've come here to Gangneung... where they're looking for any fires that remainn.
The fires in Goseong and Sokcho were all put out yesterday, so now in the Gangneung there are still a few smaller ones.
They're focusing on Inje, where less than 10 percent of the fire is still burning.
The good news is that those small fires in Inje didn't grow last night because the wind wasn't too strong.
The landscape there is hilly and mountainous,... so today firefighters will use helicopters to finish the job by sometime this afternoon.
Thank you, Jung-hwan. So once they've put out the fire in Inje, what else needs to be done?
Well, the fire agency lowered its fire alert from the highest level yesterday, but officials are still looking out for any change in the wind speed or dryness that could spark another fire.
But the most important thing is to help the people who've been affected.
There are still more than a hundred people staying in provisional shelters across Gangwon-do province.
There are lots of volunteers and companies helping them right now.
The government has also been ordered to pay special attention to those who lost their homes... with support like daily necessities, medical treatment and psychological counseling if necessary.
And finally, the cause of the fire needs to be investigated.
In Goseong, witnesses said they saw and heard an explosion from a telephone pole, but the Korea Electric Power Corporation said the switch on the pole was unlikely to explode on its own.
They suspect a spark was from exposed wires might have ignited dust in the dry air.