No fewer than 18 people have been killed and 19 injured as wildfires continue to ravage South Korea’s southeast region.
Acting President Han Duck-soo stated that the “unprecedented” catastrophe is “rewriting the record books for the worst wildfires in our nation’s history” and remains critical.
Many of those who died were in their 60s and 70s, and over 23,000 people have been evacuated, according to police.
The fires destroyed the 1,300-year-old Gounsa temple in Uiseong city, removing many cultural items and transporting them to safer ground.
Fires broke out in Sancheong County on Friday afternoon and then spread to Uiseong County, according to authorities.
The fires, fuelled by strong and dry winds, are spreading to nearby counties Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, and Yeongdeok, according to the Yonhap news agency.
Lee Byung-doo, a forest catastrophe expert at the National Institute of Forest Science, told Reuters that the Uiseong fire is expanding at an “unimaginable” magnitude and speed.
A firefighting helicopter crashed in the mountains of Uiseong County shortly after lunchtime on Wednesday, according to authorities, who are probing the cause.
Thousands of firefighters and approximately 5,000 military personnel have been dispatched to combat various fires, as well as helicopters from the US military stationed in Korea.
On Tuesday, the national fire department announced that the crisis had been escalated to the highest fire response level, the first such alert this year.
Wildfires are uncommon in South Korea, and fatalities are rare. The latest fires, which have killed 18 people in recent days, are already the deadliest in the country’s history.
The flames also burnt over 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of forest, making them the third largest in South Korean history in terms of area.
The blazes in Uiseong destroyed the Gounsa Temple, which was established in 618 AD and was one of the province’s largest temples.
A Buddhist architectural edifice from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) that was considered a national treasure was also destroyed, according to forestry authorities.
Evacuees sheltering at an elementary school in Andong were advised to leave swiftly because the fire was spreading due to high winds, according to the AFP news agency.
“The wind was so strong,” said 79-year-old Kwon So-han. “The fire came from the mountain and fell on my house.”
Acting president Han stated that all available personnel and equipment have been deployed, but strong winds continue to hamper the support efforts.
“We were desperately hoping for rain today or tomorrow to help extinguish the flames,” Han added.
“This level of wildfire damage is unlike anything we’ve experienced before.”
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, there was no rain anticipated for the region on Wednesday, and only a tiny quantity (5-10 mm) is expected on Thursday.
Han stated that once the crisis has been resolved, the government would thoroughly analyse all inadequacies in the wildfire response and work to enhance future preventative methods.
“Once a wildfire starts, extinguishing it requires tremendous resources and puts precious lives in danger,” he said.
South Korea has been experiencing drier-than-normal conditions, with lower rainfall than usual. There have already been 244 wildfires this year, which is 2.4 times more than the same period last year.
The government also promised to strengthen enforcement against illegal burning, which is one of the leading causes of wildfires, as well as crack down on individual carelessness.
