Thousands of fighter jets are tackling at least five active wildfires across the country, according to the South Korean Forest Service.
At least 18 people have been killed and nearly 20 have been injured as wildfires in multiple regions of South Korea’s southeastern region, where thousands of firefighters and soldiers struggle to control the rapidly expanding flames, officials said.
South Korea’s official Yonhap news agency said the death toll reached 18 on Wednesday, the sixth day of the fire, and was being fueled by strong dry winds.
According to Yonhap, four casualties tried to escape the fire but were burned out after the car capsized. They were found dead on the road late Tuesday night.
The South Korean Forest Service said firefighters were fighting at least five active wildfires across the country as of Wednesday morning.
He added that helicopters crashed during an effort to contain wildfires in the town of Useong, one of the most intense hit areas, and rescue operations were underway and it was estimated that the aircraft had only pilots.
The wildfire began on Friday in Sancheong County in northern Gyeongsan Province and spread to nearby Uiseong County, located about 111 miles southeast of the capital Seoul, expanding into Andong, Jeong-sung, Yong-yang and Yong-daek counties.
Officials from Andong and other southeastern cities and towns have ordered residents to evacuate as firefighters struggle to contain the fire. The fire burned 17,000 acres (42,000 acres) of forests and destroyed hundreds of structures, including the Gounsa temple in Useong, which has been in use for over 1,000 years.
The national treasures stored in Buddhist temples built in 681 were safely moved in other parts of the country, Yonghap said.
Authorities also issued an emergency warning to Hahoe Faulk Village, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site popular with Andon County tourists, as the flames approached.
“The wildfire is currently about 8 km (4.9 miles) from Ha Ho village,” a Korean Heritage Service official said, adding that a fire truck and dozens of firefighters are in standby and spraying water on the property to prevent the fire from spreading.
Lee Byung-doo, a forest disaster expert at the National Institute of Forest Science, said the Uiseong fire had “unusually unimaginable” scale and speed.
Korean foreman Han Duck So said the severe fires have surpassed all predictive models for such disasters.
“The wildfires that have been burning in Urusan for the fifth consecutive day and the Kyungsang area are causing unprecedented damage,” Han said. The fires are “developing in ways that exceed both existing forecast models and previous expectations,” he said.
According to Yonghap, the South Korean military deployed an estimated 5,000 service members and sent 146 helicopters together with thousands of firefighters to fight the fire.
Approximately 500 prisoners in prison were also transferred to other facilities outside the fire hazard zone.
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