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As the wildfire that occurred in Uljin, Gyeongsangbuk-do, spread widely with strong winds, the highest level of response to the forest fire was issued.
Currently, the area of influence of the wildfire is 8,600 ha, the largest in the last 10 years.
Connect with reporters.
Reporter Ji-wook Kim.
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Yes, it has been a day since the wildfire started, but the fire is still not easily extinguished.
The wildfire that started in Uljin, North Gyeongsang Province and spread to Samcheok is spreading again toward the south of Uljin.
The situation is threatening nuclear power plants, LNG production bases, and even transmission lines.
Now, the wind direction has changed and the flames are moving south again, reaching dangerous facilities such as gas filling stations in Uljin-gun.
The areas affected by forest fires such as Uljin and Samcheok that have been identified so far have increased significantly from 6,200 ha until noon, and were estimated to be 8,600 ha.
It is the largest scale in the past 10 years and is 30 times larger than the area of Yeouido in Seoul.
As a result, more than 6,000 residents in 35 villages took refuge in gyms and welfare centers.
Authorities predicted that the damage to private facilities and the number of evacuees would increase in the future as the forest fire is likely to approach private houses as it moves south.
Additional evacuation orders may be issued depending on the progress of the fire.
Earlier, on the night of the 4th, the government declared a state of disaster in Uljin and Samcheok.
The fire department has issued a three-step response and mobilized all manpower and equipment to put all their efforts into the fight.
As the fire-affected area is so wide, the forestry authorities say the goal is to catch the main fire until the sun goes down.