Chilgok-gun conducts large-scale wildfire response drill with government agencies

Chilgok-gun in North Gyeongsang Province held the "2026 Ready Korea Wildfire Suppression Integrated Drill" on Friday, bringing together the Ministry of Interior and Safety, Korea Forest Service, Ministry of National Defense, National Fire Agency, Korean National Police Agency, Korea Meteorological Administration and North Gyeongsang Province.

Prime Minister Han Seong-sook took part in the exercise, which opened with a simulated wildfire scenario attributed to a hiker's accidental ignition.

With a dry weather alert in effect, the fire spread rapidly on strong west-northwest winds, prompting the Korea Forest Service, North Gyeongsang Province, Chilgok-gun's wildfire suppression team, and first-responding fire and police units to deploy to the scene.

Chilgok-gun sent out emergency disaster text alerts and activated its local disaster and safety countermeasures headquarters.

As the wildfire crisis alert was raised to the "Serious" level and a Level 2 wildfire response was declared, command of the on-site integrated wildfire command center transferred from the Chilgok-gun chief to the head of the Korea Forest Service in accordance with established procedures.

The central government activated the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and the Central Accident Management Headquarters.

The Korea Forest Service, Defense Ministry, National Fire Agency and North Gyeongsang Province deployed aerial firefighting helicopters and ground suppression personnel to battle the blaze.

The Chilgok-gun public health center set up a field emergency medical station, triaging casualties by severity and arranging hospital transfers.

After the main fire was brought under control, crews moved into mop-up operations — clearing residual flames, monitoring for rekindling, investigating the cause of the fire, and restoring power and communications infrastructure.

Chilgok-gun operated a disaster scene integrated support headquarters and an on-site integrated support center for disaster victims, while the Korean Red Cross and volunteer organizations provided temporary shelter, meals, daily necessities and psychological recovery support.

"When a wildfire meets strong winds, it can escalate into a major disaster within minutes, which is why quick judgment and resident evacuation in the early stages matter most," Chilgok-gun Chief Kim Jae-wook said. "We will keep strengthening our on-site response capabilities so that all relevant agencies can move immediately in a real situation, just as they did in Friday's drill."