In the afternoon of Mar. 24 in Anpyeong-myeon, a township in Uiseong-gun (county), Gyeongsangbuk-do (Province), the wind abruptly picked up to around 25 meters per second at the wildfire site. The flames, which had been moving in one direction, shifted northward.
The sudden change stirred tension among the firefighters. Just north of Uiseong lies Andong, a city of 150,000 people and home to the Gyeongsangbuk-do’s provincial government.
“We have to stop the fire from crossing into downtown Andong, no matter what,” said Lee Dong-gyu, 43, who was flying one of the firefighting helicopters. After speaking, he rushed back toward his aircraft.
Since 6 a.m., Lee had been skipping proper meals, relying on instant meal while dumping water on the blaze. A veteran who has battled wildfires over 600 times, Lee said, “I’ve never seen wind cause this much trouble.”
Around 2:30 p.m., firefighters’ phones rang all at once with an emergency alert urging everyone in the mountains to evacuate immediately.
As the situation grew more critical, authorities ramped up their efforts. Firefighters struggled to hold back the advancing flames, while 60 helicopters, 2,728 personnel, and 425 fire trucks and other vehicles were mobilized to form a defensive line and contain the spread.
But the fire continued to push forward. By 4:10 p.m., it had crossed from Jeomgok-myeon into Gilan-myeon in Andong. The command post set up at the Anpyeong-myeon administrative office was also overtaken by flames.
In response, the city of Andong evacuated more than 1,100 residents from Gilan-myeon and Namhae-myeon to emergency shelters set up at Gilan Middle School and the Andong Gymnasium. “As we evacuated, smoke blanketed the village,” said Jeon Eun-young, a 46-year-old resident of Gilan-myeon. “It felt like we were fleeing from war.”
Uiseong-gun authorities sent out 19 emergency alerts throughout the day, urging residents to evacuate to safety. About 900 residents relocated to shelters such as the nearby Gymnasium.
To protect cultural assets, officials deployed fire trucks to spray water around Gounsa Temple in Danchon-myeon, Uiseong-gun. They aimed to safeguard Yeonsujeon Hall and Gaunru Pavilion, both designated treasures. A waterproof sheet was placed over a stone seated Buddha statue. Just two days earlier, Unramsa Temple in Uiseong-gun had burned to the ground, and now Gounsa was under threat.
In Jeomgok-myeon, near the Andong border, thick smoke hung in the air, making it difficult to breathe without a mask. Though it was midday, the sky glowed reddish, as if the sun were setting.
Shin, an 83-year-old resident, was seen spraying water around his home. “This is the only house I have,” he said. “I couldn’t just let it burn. I grabbed the hose and did what I could.”
The fire also reached a small rest stop in Jeomgok-myeon along the Seosan-Yeongdeok Expressway, which runs between Uiseong-gun and Andong.
Korea Expressway Corp. shut down both directions of traffic between Buk-Uiseong Interchange and the Yeongdeok Tollgate at 3:35 p.m. Most major roads in the Uiseong-gun area were closed off as well.
The containment rate, which had reached 71% earlier in the day, dropped back down to 60% by afternoon.“We haven’t slept in three days trying to put this fire out because the wind has been absolutely merciless,” said one forestry official.
