Police launch first on-site joint probe into ignition point of Gyeongsangbuk-do wildfire

Thank you for joining us. I'm Yoon Jung-min.

With the main fires in the country contained after a long, uphill battle, authorities now turn their eyes to figure out what caused the disaster.

Lee Soo-jin has more.

South Korean police, along with the National Forensic Service and firefighting authorities, have launched their first joint investigation into the country's worst-ever wildfire.

Police in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province on Monday morning, using drones, began conducting on-site inspections in Uiseong-gun County, the ignition site of the wildfire in the province, to determine what caused it and the direction in which the fire spread.

The fires in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province saw about 480 square kilometers of woodland affected, equivalent to 80 percent of the size of Seoul, and left 26 people dead.

The police plan to examine traces of flames left on the trees around a tomb and the surrounding areas to determine the direction that the fire spread, and search the area around the site of the ignition to find any evidence of materials that may have caused the fire.

Analysis of the evidence found from the on-site inspections is expected to take at least three weeks.

The police revealed on Sunday that they booked a 56-year-old man on Friday without detention on charges of starting the fire on March 22nd while tending to the grave of his grandparents.

The man denies the charges.

On Saturday, the police found a lighter that was found at the scene and has requested an analysis from the National Forensic Service for fingerprints or DNA evidence.

With the main fires in both Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gyeongsangnam-do Provinces now contained, the government is also focusing on helping those affected.

This includes providing temporary housing and livelihood support for those who have been displaced.

More than three thousand houses were completely burned down, and significant damage was also inflicted on 30 national heritage sites and 2-thousand agricultural facilities.

Lee Soo-jin, Arirang News.