As per reports, following are the updates on the wildfires reported across South Korea as of Saturday (29 March) –

• By Friday (28 March) evening, most of the wildfires that raged across North Gyeongsang Province over the past seven days were fully contained by authorities by 1700 hours (local time). Overnight rainfall and decreased wind speeds assisted in suppressing the wildfire in Uiseong, Cheongsong, Yeongdeok and Yeongyang counties. Light rainfall of approximately 1.0 millimeter in Northern areas of the province, coupled with reduced wind speeds of 7.0-11 kilometers per hour, helped slow the fire’s spread.
• As of Friday (28 March) evening, the wildfires burned for approximately 48,150 hectares, resulting in 29 deaths, and leaving almost 50 injured over 33,000 people displaced. In response, North Gyeongsang Province authorities have announced an emergency housing plan. Governor Lee Cheol-woo said that displaced residents will be relocated to temporary shelters, utilising corporate training centers and hotels, and will be provided with prefabricated houses. Plans are also underway to build new residential villages in affected areas.
• However, in some areas, many fires reignited between Friday and Saturday (28-29 March). The Gyeongbuk Fire Service Headquarters responded to reports of smoke in Andong, 190 kilometers Southeast of Seoul in the North Gyeongsang Province, at around 2200 hours on Friday (28 March). They confirmed that the fire reignited around 0300 hours on Saturday (29 March).
• The Korea Expressway Corporation blocked off a section of a nearby highway at 0500 hours and reopened it just before 0900 hours. With vehicles unable to reach the mountainous areas, 11 helicopters were called in to contain the fire. Officials said fires had also restarted in other parts of the province, including Euiseong, just South of Andong. Regional officials called in nine firefighting helicopters, along with 230 firefighters and 50 soldiers, to contain the fires.
• Separately, a fire that started near a transmission tower at around 2100 hours of Friday (28 March) in the county of Cheongsong, East of Andong, which then spread to an adjacent mountain. Cheongsong officials have warned residents to brace for a possible power outage. Nine other helicopters were in operation over Cheongsong and Yeongyang to put out embers.
• With most fires contained, experts have now warned of the significant threat of toxic air quality in the aftermath of the fires. By 27 March, ultrafine dust levels in the wildfire-hit areas of North Gyeongsang Province surged to record-breaking levels. In Andong, concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) reached 537 micrograms per cubic meter, more than seven times the “very bad” threshold of 75. Cheongsong witnessed an even higher spike of 557. Both regions are located in basins, where smoke is more prone to settle and stagnate.
• Scientists have warned that wildfire smoke is significantly more toxic than urban smog, containing a complex mix of ultrafine particles, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and carcinogenic chemicals released from burning vegetation, soil and man-made structures like homes and vehicles. This poses an additional risk for South Korea’s senior citizens, especially in the North Gyeongsang Province, which has one of the oldest populations in the country.
• Police are currently probing a man suspected of causing the massive wildfires in South Korea’s Southeastern region. He is suspected of causing the fire on 22 March while performing an ancestral rite at a family grave on a hill in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province. Further details are awaited, as fire and police authorities probe the causes and factors of the fires at multiple places.