Over Half of Autumn Wildfires Caused by Accidental Fires and Incineration... Quadruples This Month

More than half of all autumn wildfires have been shown to be caused by accidental fires set by hikers and illegal incineration.

According to an analysis of the causes of autumn wildfires (October to November) over the past 10 years by the National Institute of Forest Science under the Korea Forest Service, accidental fires by hikers accounted for the highest share at 37.5%, followed by the incineration of farm waste and agricultural by-products at 13.6%.

By region, accidental fires by hikers were most frequent in Gyeongsangnam-do with 21 cases, followed by Gyeonggi-do and Gyeongsangbuk-do with 20 cases each, and Chungcheongnam-do and Gangwon-do with 18 cases each.

Wildfires caused by incineration were recorded at 11 cases in Gyeongsangbuk-do, and 10 cases each in Gyeonggi-do and Gyeongsangnam-do.

In particular, a total of 22 wildfires have occurred so far in October, surging more than fourfold compared to the 10-year average of 5 cases for the same period.

The National Institute of Forest Science warned that even accidentally starting a wildfire can lead to up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million KRW, while urging the public to refrain from burning materials near forest areas and using fire sources when entering mountains.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.