April 29, 2025
SEOUL – After South Korea battled the worst wildfire in its history in March, another wildfire in the southeastern city of Daegu spread fast Monday, forcing some 1,200 residents to evacuate.
Authorities stated that the fire broke out at approximately 2 p.m. in Hamjisan, a mountain in the city’s central region. While the cause of the fire is still yet to be identified, the Daegu city government said the fire is suspected to have started in a restricted mountain access area. Investigations of the exact cause will begin once firefighting efforts are completed.
Forest authorities initially issued a Level 1 wildfire response, deploying 19 helicopters, 38 pieces of firefighting equipment and 165 firefighters. Thirty minutes later, the response was raised to Level 2 — the second-highest firefighting response level on a three-tier scale — as the strong winds and dry conditions pushed the blaze toward different areas. By 6 p.m., a Level 3 response was announced.
A total of 28 helicopters, 57 pieces of firefighting equipment and 704 personnel were deployed to the site to combat the fast-moving fire. No casualties were reported as of press time.
At 7 p.m., forest authorities transitioned to a nighttime response system focused on ground personnel and withdrew the helicopters deployed except two Surion helicopters which are capable of extinguishing fires at night. During nighttime firefighting operations, around 160 personnel are expected to continue firefighting efforts to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby residential areas.
Firefighting helicopters will be back in operation as soon as the sun rises on Tuesday, according to fire authorities.
Meanwhile, the National Fire Agency said it also raised the fire response to the highest level to mobilize all available resources to contain wildfires spreading across the southeastern region.
The third level in the three-tier system is issued when massive damage from a disaster is anticipated, calling for the nationwide mobilization of all firefighting personnel and equipment.
The blaze had by 8 p.m scorched 151 hectares of woodland and 19 percent of the fires had declared to be out by that time. The fires spread rapidly southwards, sending flames into the city’s southern villages of Joya-dong, Nogok-dong and Seobyeon-dong.
According to the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education, three schools — Seongbuk Elementary School, Seobyeon Elementary School and Middle School — will be temporarily closed on Tuesday. The education office plans to monitor the wildfire’s spread and determine whether additional closures will be necessary.
Acting Interior Minister Ko Ki-dong emphasized the need to prepare for the speedy evacuation of residents in areas potentially affected by the blaze and build a defense line to protect both private and public facilities, urging the relevant agencies to mobilize all available equipment and personnel to make the utmost efforts to contain the wildfire.
Acting President Han Duck-soo instructed relevant authorities to “mobilize all available equipment and personnel” to extinguish the fire and assist with evacuations.
“With strong winds causing the wildfire to spread quickly and residential areas nearby, ensure that all necessary steps are taken for emergency rescues and evacuations to prevent any loss of life,” he said.
Forest authorities reportedly announced that they had struggled to identify the specific location where the fire started due to thick smoke.