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Catholic officials promise to assist Korean wildfire victims

The wildfire affected 13,000 hectares of forest and about 6,324 people in Uljin and Samcheok, govt says
Catholic officials promise to assist Korean wildfire victims

Won Yong-dae, a Catholic from Andong Diocese, stands in front of charred vehicles in a burned out junkyard in Uljin. (Photo: Park Won-hee/Catholic Times of Korea)

Published: March 16, 2022 08:50 AM GMT
Updated: March 16, 2022 09:00 AM GMT

Catholic Church officials in South Korea have visited two areas hit by a deadly wildfire and promised to offer aid to affected families.

Church officials from Andong Diocese and members of St. Vincent de Paul Society paid visits to affected communities in Uljin and Samcheok following the fire that started on March 4 and lasted for about two days.

The fire originated on a hill in Ducheon-ri of Uljin, North Gyeongsang province, and then spread to Samcheok. The government estimated 13,000 hectares of forest had been affected.

Authorities deployed 104 fire-extinguishing helicopters, 777 vehicles and 14,835 fire extinguishers to combat the forest fire, the Korean Herald reported on March 6.

The government said 6,324 people living in the vicinity were evacuated to safety.

President Moon Jae-in declared two affected areas as a special disaster zone and announced a financial aid package to cover costs of repairing houses and other properties.

“I still cannot believe the house has just disappeared. Three generations have lived in the house”

The government will cover 70 percent of the cost for private properties and 50 percent for public properties, President Moon said while visiting some 500 evacuees at Uljin National Sports Center on March 6.

Father Choi Sang-hee, parish priest of Uljin Parish covered by Andong Diocese, said several Catholic families had lost everything including their houses and means of livelihood in the fire.

As a precautionary measure, the authorities cut off power and gas supplies in the affected areas, which also caused suffering for victims and residents, the priest said.

Father Choi welcomed 10 affected families in the parish for food and rest before helping them to shift to an evacuation center, Catholic Times of Korea reported on March 16.  

The priest said the church would assist affected communities by all possible means.

Elizabeth Lee Young, a Catholic from the parish and public prosecutor, said her family had lost the house built by her 90-year-old mother-in-law, Anna Hong Bun-ran, about 40 years ago.

“I still cannot believe the house has just disappeared,” Lee, 60, lamented. “Three generations have lived in the house.”

“When we returned the next day, the junkyard was reduced to a pile of ashes. Nothing was left”

As the fire broke, Lee and her husband rushed to save her mother-in-law, leaving everything in the house behind. They returned the next day to find the house had been completely destroyed by fire. “It was so shocking and outrageous that I couldn’t even cry,” she said.

Catholic couple Won Yong-dae and Kang Jeong-ah also suffered serious damage from the wildfire. The family ran a junkyard and lived in a building next to it.

As the fire engulfed the junkyard, they fled to save their lives. The fire destroyed 140 vehicles and dozens of gas and oxygen canisters piled up in the yard exploded for hours.

“When we returned the next day, the junkyard was reduced to a pile of ashes. Nothing was left,” Won said, adding that his estimated loss is about 100 million won (US$81,000).

He says he is worried whether he can get compensation or recover from the loss. Luckily, however, the house where they live was largely unharmed.

The couple were among those people welcomed by the parish after the fire. They are now surviving on food and other aid from their Catholic neighbors.

Won’s wife Kang said she is grateful to God for saving their lives. “I still thank God. The future is bleak, but I’m glad no one was hurt,” she said. 

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