Golden Window Today: Uiseong wildfires hit crucial turning point with 85% containment

Our top story this morning.

The wildfires in the southern Gyeongsang-do provinces are still spreading, with reports now indicating this could be the worst wildfire disaster on record.

We turn to our Kim Jung-sil on the line.

Jung-sil, can you give us a breakdown of the situation? How severe is the damage at this point?

Dami. It's devastating wildfires that began simultaneously from last weekend have already claimed dozens of lives.

As of this morning, the confirmed death toll stands at 28, with at least 37 others injured.

The latest confirmed death was reported yesterday afternoon in Cheongsong, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, where an 80-year-old woman who had been missing was found dead in a collapsed house caused by the fire.

Many of the victims were elderly, aged between 60 and 80.

Unfortunately, these individuals either couldn't escape the rapidly spreading flames in time or died while attempting to evacuate from their homes or nursing homes.

The Korea Forest Service said just about an hour ago that it is aiming to completely extinguish the main fire in 6 cities and counties in the region within the day.

Minister Lim Sang-seop stated that an astonishing 45,000 hectares are affected by the wildfire an area larger than 70% of Seoul making it potentially the largest wildfire disaster in the country’s history.

Over 2,600 structures, including homes, temples, and cultural heritage sites, have been reported damaged.

Around 37,000 people have been evacuated, and 8,500 of them still cannot return home.

That's truly devastating.

Now, let's shift focus to the firefighting efforts. I'm afraid to say the rainfall in the area last night didn't do much in containing the fire?

Dami, you're right some rain did fall, and it was a blessing for the firefighters.

Take a look at this map: Uiseong-gun and neighboring regions, where the fire spread with the prevailing winds, along with Sancheong-gun in Gyeongsangnam-do, are still battling the flames.

The average containment rate of the Uiseong wildfires is around 85%, with Uiseong itself at 95%.

Officials are aiming for full extinguishment by the end of the day. It's a crucial moment, with progress made overnight, and authorities hopeful for full containment due to calmer winds and yesterday's rain.

Due to the severity of the damage, the government has recently designated these affected areas as Special Disaster Zones.

This designation ensures that significant resources will be allocated for relief and recovery efforts.

Now, let's look at the areas where fires have been fully contained.

Thanks to yesterday's much-needed rain, large fires in Ulsan, Muju, as well as Gimhae and Okcheon were successfully put out as of late last night.

Thanks to yesterday's humidity and progress in containment efforts, this could mark a critical window to fully control the fires, with authorities focused on achieving complete containment by the end of the day.

Thank you Jung-sil, for that update.