March 27, 2025
SEOUL – The massive wave of wildfires ravaging across South Korea’s southeastern region is believed to have started from simple mistakes by grave visitors, farmers, welders and even from burning a bag of chips near a valley.
One of the two sources of the blaze in Uiseong-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, which has been responsible for most of the 24 deaths that have occurred in the series of fires as of Wednesday evening, is believed to have originated from a spark started by a person visiting the grave of one of their ancestors in Anpyeong-eup on Saturday. The person confessed to have used a lighter on the mountainside, which became one of the epicenters of the wildfires that spread to nearby areas, carried by strong winds.
It is unclear what started the other fire in Angye-myeon later that day, although it is believed to have originated near a freeway.
Four deaths occurred in the fires that started at Sancheong-gun of the same province on Friday, which spread to affect nearby Hadong-gun and the city of Jinju. It was found to have started from a brush cutter at a farm in Sicheon-myeon, Sancheong-gun.
Another fire that is yet to be contained originated in Ulju-gun, Ulsan Metropolitan City, and is believed to have started from a welding operation at a farm on Saturday.
The Gimhae fire that started on Saturday was fully extinguished on Tuesday before reigniting on Wednesday afternoon on a smaller scale, started from a small fire that a graveyard keeper used to burn a bag of chips. The fire burned a relatively small area of land, although 148 people were forced to evacuate.
Another small fire in Hamyang-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, started from sparks from a welding job on Saturday, by a man in his 60s repairing a fence to keep out wild animals. The fire was put out later that day.
Investigation of the causes of other fires are underway, with most of them suspected to have started from carelessness. The lack of humidity and high temperature in the region contributed to the wildfires becoming one of the worst disasters in the country’s history.