SOUTH Korean Prime Minister and Acting President Han Duck-soo has announced that a wildfire outbreak in the Asian nation claimed 18 lives, destroyed over 200 structures, and forced 27,000 people to flee their homes.
On Wednesday, March 26, Duck-soo revealed that the wildfires, among the worst in the country’s history, ravaged southern regions and caused “unprecedented damage.”
He urged response agencies to “assume the worst-case scenario and act accordingly.”
Reports indicate that a helicopter crashed while battling wildfires in the southeastern town of Uiseong, killing the pilot and prompting the Korea Forest Service to suspend helicopter operations nationwide.
Officials told AFP that authorities in Andong and other southeastern cities and towns ordered evacuations on Tuesday as firefighters struggled to contain multiple wildfires fueled by dry winds.
The fires have burned more than 17,400 hectares (43,000 acres) of land and destroyed hundreds of structures, including a 1,300-year-old Buddhist temple.
The ICIR reports that the South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety said more than 5,500 people were forced to leave their homes in Andong, the neighboring counties of Uiseong and Sancheong, and the city of Ulsan, where the fires were most severe.
Earlier on Tuesday, South Korean officials reported that firefighters had extinguished most of the flames from the largest wildfires in these areas.
However, dry and windy conditions caused setbacks, allowing the fires to reignite and spread further.
The fires began on March 21, when dozens of wildfires erupted across South Korea as dry winds swept through the country, killing four people and injuring nine others.
The conflagrations prompted mass evacuations and led to the deployment of thousands of personnel and over 100 helicopters to contain the blazes.
The fires follow a similar incident in Los Angeles, United States, earlier in January this year.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.