South Korea wildfires kill at least 18, cause 'unprecedented damage'

Wildfires driven by dry weather and strong winds were ravaging southern South Korea, killing 18 people, destroying more than 200 structures and forcing 27,000 people to evacuate, officials said.

The wildfires in six southeastern regions have burned 43,330 acres and injured 19 people, the government's emergency response centre said in a statement on Wednesday. A 1,300-year-old Buddhist temple, houses, factories and vehicles were among the structures destroyed.

Officials in several southeastern cities and towns had ordered residents to evacuate on Tuesday as firefighters struggled to contain multiple blazes fuelled by dry winds. The largest fires were in Andong, the neighbouring counties of Uiseong and Sancheong, and the city of Ulsan, according to South Korea's Interior Ministry.

Earlier on Tuesday, officials had said firefighters had extinguished most of the flames from the largest wildfires in those areas, but wind and dry conditions allowed the blazes to spread again.

Nearly 9,000 firefighters, more than 130 helicopters and hundreds of vehicles were battling the fires, but efforts were partially suspended overnight as the winds strengthened.

The blaze in Uiseong destroyed Gounsa, a temple built in the 7th century, according to officials from the Korea Heritage Service. Some of the temple's treasures, including a stone Buddha statue, were evacuated before the fire reached the wooden buildings.

The Korea Forest Service said firefighters were fighting at least five active wildfires nationwide as of Wednesday morning.

'Unprecedented damage'

The service had raised its wildfire warning to the highest "serious" level nationwide Tuesday, requiring local governments to assign more workers to emergency response, tighten entry restrictions for forests and parks, and recommend that military units withhold live-fire exercises.

Four firefighters and government workers were killed in Sancheong on Saturday after being trapped by fast-moving flames driven by strong winds.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, the country’s acting leader, has vowed an all-out effort to contain the wildfires and also urged public vigilance as dry spring weather persists.

"Wildfires burning for a fifth consecutive day in Ulsan and the Gyeongsang region are causing unprecedented damage," Han said, adding that the fires were "developing in a way that is exceeding both existing prediction models and earlier expectations".

Government officials suspect human error was the cause of several of the fires, possibly due to the use of fire while clearing overgrown grass in family tombs or sparks from welding work.

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Source: TRT