Latest News

South Korea's worst wildfires ever kill 26

The size of the wildfires raging across South Korea on Thursday doubled from the day before, with authorities calling the fires the worst natural disaster in the country. At least 26 people were killed and ancient temples destroyed.

The largest fire that started in central Uiseong County has burned or is still burning more than 33,000 hectares (81,500 acres). This makes it the largest forest fire in South Korea history. The previous record for a fire in March 2000 was 24,000 ha (59,000 acres).

Han Duck-soo, acting president of South Korea, told a government meeting that the rapid spread of forest blazes has created a "critical situation" with many casualties.

The military released aviation fuel stocks to keep helicopters in flight to put out fires burning across the mountainous regions of the south of the country. These fires have now been burning for almost a week.

The safety ministry reported that more than 120 helicopters were deployed to three areas in order to fight the fires. South Korea uses helicopters to combat forest fires due to its mountainous terrain.

Wildfires in Uiseong are moving quickly eastward and spreading to the coast. The wind is gusty, and the dry weather has made the situation worse.

The weather agency has predicted some rain in the southwest but the amount of precipitation will be less than five millimetres.

The Korea Forest Service Minister Lim Sang Seop said at a press briefing that the amount of rain would be very small and it didn't appear to be able to help extinguish a fire.

Experts say that the Uiseong Fire showed an unusually large spread and speed. They also predict that wildfires will become more deadly and frequent as a result of climate change.

Climate Central, a group of independent scientists and researchers, stated in a recent report that the increased temperatures caused by climate change have contributed to the dry season. "Dry landscapes are turning into dangerous fire fuel," the Climate Central group said. Jack Kim, Ed Davies, Michael Perry and Nicoco Chan contributed to the report.

(source: Reuters)