Wildfires driven by strong winds have devastated parts of South Korea’s southern regions, killing at least 19 people, destroying more than 200 structures, and forcing 27,000 people to evacuate.
A helicopter pilot was among those killed on Wednesday when his aircraft crashed while it was attempting to contain the fires in the town of Uiseong, one of the worst-hit areas, officials said.
The wildfires, which began last Friday, have consumed 43,330 acres (17,535 hectares) of land and destroyed an ancient Buddhist temple along with houses, factories, vehicles, and other property.
Nineteen people have been injured, according to the government’s emergency response centre.
Observers have described the ongoing wildfires as the third-largest in South Korea’s history in terms of land consumed.
Evacuations in several southeastern cities and towns were ordered on Tuesday as firefighters struggled to control multiple blazes fuelled by dry winds. The largest fires were reported in Andong, the neighbouring counties of Uiseong and Sancheong, and the city of Ulsan, according to South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior.
In Uiseong, the blaze destroyed nearly half of the 30 structures at Gounsa, a Buddhist temple originally built in the seventh century. Among the buildings damaged were two state-designated “treasures” – a pavilion-shaped structure erected over a stream in 1668, and a Joseon Dynasty structure constructed in 1904 to commemorate the longevity of a king. Authorities said an eighth-century stone Buddha statue had been safely evacuated.
In Cheongsong, another southern town, the Justice Ministry relocated 500 inmates from a detention centre as a precautionary measure. Officials reported no damage to the facility.
On Tuesday, the forest service raised the wildfire warning nationwide to its highest “serious” level, requiring local governments to deploy additional personnel for emergency responses, tighten entry restrictions for forests and parks, and recommend military units suspend live-fire exercises.
Among the deceased are four firefighters and government workers who died in Sancheong on Saturday after becoming trapped by fast-moving flames driven by strong winds.
Government officials suspect human error is behind several of the fires, with potential causes including the use of fire to clear overgrown grass in family tombs or sparks from welding equipment.