The site that was presumed to be the source of the first fire of a large wildfire that started in Uljin, Gyeongbuk and spread to Samcheok, Gangwon was a drainage ditch next to a two-lane two-lane road without a pedestrian path.



Today (6th) the site was filled with access control lines and flags for investigation.



Several blue, yellow, and red flags indicating the direction in which the fire had spread around the initial ignition point were pointed at the ridge among the burned trees in a semicircle about 2 m in diameter.



At a glance, you can guess the process by which a small spark quickly turns into a violent flame.



A 47-year-old former resident who witnessed the fire and reported the fire to the forest authorities the second time said, "It is not a path people walk on. said.



Jeon, who lives about 200m from the ignition site, explained, "I was looking at a cultivator nearby on the morning of the 4th and saw smoke rising from the ignition point and reported it."



In addition, he said, "Smoke was rising, and a strong wind blew, and in an instant, a strong flame soared."




An official from the Korea Forest Service who visited the site said, "The Forest Science Academy, which investigated the site first, said that the cause of the ignition was still unknown."



He also said, "I know that it was confirmed that the vehicle passed the ignition site during the ignition period."



He added, "The exact cause cannot be determined until the results of the investigation are out, so it is not possible to conclude that cigarette smoking is the cause yet."



The Forest Science Institute visited the site on the day of the fire and completed the first investigation.



The starting point of the ignition and the direction in which the flame spread were marked with a flag after the investigation was completed, but the cause of the ignition is still being investigated.



Dr. Kwon Chun-geun of the Academy of Forestry Sciences, who participated in the first investigation, said in a media call, "Through field investigations, we estimated the origin of the initial ignition, but could not estimate the specific cause."



He added, "We plan to jointly investigate whether it is a true story, arson, or a cigarette fire."



At the end of the main fire extinguishing of this forest fire, the forestry authorities plan to conduct a joint investigation and identification of the cause of the fire with the police and fire authorities in the area of ​​154 Ducheon-ri, Buk-myeon, Uljin-gun, where the fire started.