Urgent Alert: South Korea‘s Gwangyang City Raises Wildfire Warning to ’Caution' - What You Need to Know

[iNews24 reporter Yoon Junho] Gwangyang City in South Jeolla Province said on the 30th that national authorities raised the nationwide wildfire disaster alert from 'Caution' to 'Warning' at 3 p.m. on the 26th. The city has mobilized all available administrative resources to strengthen wildfire prevention and initial response efforts.

Dry-weather advisories are in effect across most of the country, and Gwangyang faces heightened wildfire risk from rising temperatures and strong winds. In response, the city has reinforced its emergency response system to align with the national 'Warning' level.

Following the upgrade to 'Warning,' the city has placed at least one-sixth of its municipal workforce on emergency standby and deployment. It is conducting patrols of towns and neighborhoods at least twice weekly and has increased surveillance personnel in areas most vulnerable to wildfires as part of a comprehensive prevention effort.

The city activated its regional disaster and safety response headquarters and is coordinating with partner agencies to ensure a rapid response if a wildfire breaks out.

Officials are intensifying public outreach on wildfire prevention and enforcing prohibitions on burning agricultural residue near forest edges. When illegal burning is detected, authorities will impose fines under the Forest Disaster Prevention Act or pursue criminal charges through special judicial police.

A city official urged residents to treat the situation with gravity and to actively cooperate in preventing wildfires.