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Yesterday (4th), following Uljin, Gyeongsangbuk-do, forest fires that occurred simultaneously in Gangwon-do are still not extinguished.



Reporter Kim Bo-mi analyzed why such a large forest fire occurs and spreads far, although the damage is still continuing with the largest amount of damage in the past 10 years.



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This is a satellite image of the Korean Peninsula today.



Smoke from large forest fires in Gyeongbuk and Gangwon can be seen.



A strong westerly wind is also confirmed.



In Uljin, Gyeongsangbuk-do, where the fire started, and Samcheok and Gangneung, where the fire spread, a drying advisory has been in effect since the 15th of last month.



When the effective humidity falls below 30%, the risk of wildfire is considered to be very high, and most of these areas are below the 30% line.



In addition to this dry air condition, strong winds have also blew since yesterday.



In an instant, a strong wind exceeding 20 m/s, even if water was continuously sprayed with a helicopter, it could not keep up with the speed of the fire, so it quickly became a large forest fire.



The wind blew the sparks from place to place, and at the same time caused fires in several places.



The pine trees distributed in the East Coast area acted as a fire starter.



Pine trees dominate the forests of Gangwon and Gyeongbuk, including Uljin’s Geumgang pine forest. As a result of the experiment, pines, which are conifers, burn much longer than oaks, which are broad-leaved trees, and have a longer residual fire.





[Won Myeong-su / Director of Forest ICT Research Center, National Academy of Forest Sciences: Because it contains essential oil, it burns very well and has a high durability, so it has a characteristic that it does not go out for a long time in case of a forest

fire.]

Although we built a defense line with the goal of capturing



There are no rain forecasts for the Yeongnam and Gangwon regions for the time being, and a strong wind advisory is in effect until tomorrow.



As a result of analysis with the forest fire prediction system, the National Academy of Forest Sciences said that it is urgent to reduce the damage, saying that the fire is expected to spread to the Uljin-gun Office and private houses, assuming the current wind and humidity are maintained.



(Video coverage: Kim Seong-il, video editing: Won-hee Won)