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Wildfires in South Korea continue to rage despite new evacuation orders

Wildfires raged in the southeast region of South Korea on Tuesday. They threatened a World Heritage site and forced thousands more residents out of their homes.

A city official and a text message alert informed residents of Andong's 150,000-strong population to move to safer areas.

Officials said that the fire is currently located about 10 kilometers (6.21 miles), from Hahoe.

Authorities designated counties affected as'special disaster areas'. Wildfires continue to burn in the region, causing death.

Since Saturday, when fires broke out across several regions, fuelled by dry weather and strong winds, at least four people were killed and hundreds of others forced to leave their homes.

Wildfires have destroyed local landmarks, including ancient Buddhist temples.

Jeung Meung Suk, a Buddhist of 55 years, said: "It is heartbreaking and regrettable that this temple has been burnt down, because it is an ancient temple." The temple Unramsa is thousands of years old, with most of its buildings destroyed.

On Tuesday, the acting president Han Duck-soo vowed that he would send helicopters and workers to the ground as soon as possible to extinguish the fires. (Reporting and writing by Minwoo Park; editing by Ju-min Park)

(source: Reuters)