South Korean fire crews battled what the acting president on Wednesday called some of the worst wildfires ever in the country, fueled by windy and dry conditions. At least 24 people have died, the authorities said, including the pilot of a downed helicopter.
The National Fire Agency said the helicopter crashed on Wednesday during firefighting efforts. It said it could not immediately provide further details, including the cause of the crash or whether anyone else was on board.
Two ancient Buddhist temples were among the more than 200 buildings damaged or destroyed since the fires began on Friday in the country’s southeast. Tens of thousands of acres have been scorched, the government said, and more than 27,000 people evacuated.
March 23
March 24
March 25
Seoul
Active fires
detected
Fires
56.3 mi
SOUTH
KOREA
Gyeongsangbuk-Do
Gyeongsangbuk-Do
Gyeongsangbuk-Do
Daegu
Daegu
Daegu
March 23
Seoul
Fires
SOUTH
KOREA
natalspinActive fires
detected
Gyeongsangbuk-Do
Daegu
March 24
Gyeongsangbuk-Do
Daegu
March 25
56.3 mi
Gyeongsangbuk-Do
Daegu
66jogoMarch 23
March 24
March 25
Seoul
Fires
Active fires
detected
SOUTH
KOREA
56.3 mi
Gyeongsangbuk-Do
Gyeongsangbuk-Do
Gyeongsangbuk-Do
Daegu
Daegu
Daegu
March 23
March 24
March 25
Seoul
Fires
SOUTH
KOREA
56.3 mi
Active fires
detected
Gyeongsangbuk-Do
Gyeongsangbuk-Do
Gyeongsangbuk-Do
Daegu
Daegu
Daegu
Source: NASA Fire Information for Resource Management System. Data as of March 25.
By Pablo Robles
Out of nearly 30 blazes since Friday, eight were still burning early Wednesday.
In addition to the 24 fatalities, at least 26 people were injured, 12 of them seriously, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said on Wednesday. Many of those who died were in their 60s and 70s, a local police official said in a briefing.
The government said that 43,000 acres had been damaged.
ImageThe fires appeared to be “breaking the record for the worst wildfires ever,” said acting President Han Duck-soo, who just this week was reinstated after being impeached in December. In a statement, his office said the fires were spreading beyond initial predictions.
Among the people evacuated were residents of the 600-year-old Andong Hahoe folk village, a UNESCO World Heritage site more than 130 miles southeast of Seoul. Villagers described the blaze as “the devil” on social media and expressed frustration at the lack of success in putting it out.
Flames and smoke damaged 209 buildings across the region, according to the ministry statement, including two temples. Videos from local news stations showed the inferno surrounding and closing in on the temples, both more than 1,000 years old.
ImageA wildfire swept through the city of Andong on Wednesday.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesImageA mountain ridge ablaze in Andong, South Korea, early Wednesday. Eight active fires were still burning in the region, in the country’s southeast.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesThe Korea Heritage Service said on social media on Wednesday that some treasures from one, the Gounsa temple, including a stone Buddha statue, had been removed before the fire reached it.
Local officials closed off roads and suspended train services, and some places lost power.
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On Monday and Wednesday, the deaths of two mothers in Georgia were linked to the state’s far-reaching abortion ban in new reports from ProPublica.
The government said that firefighters had contained nearly 70 percent of the largest blaze, which burned across 37,000 acres. Their efforts were slowed by winds of 56 miles per hour starting Tuesday afternoon, which prevented them from mobilizing helicopters and drones.
The first blaze started on Friday afternoon in Sancheong County, around 160 miles southeast of the capital. The Interior Ministry said it was investigating claims that a farmer’s lawn mower had started that one.
ImageIn Andong early Wednesday. Acting President Han Duck-soo said the fires were among the worst the country had ever seen.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesImageFirefighters extinguishing a fire in Andong early Wednesday. Some 70 percent of the largest blaze in the surrounding county has been contained, the government said.Credit...Chang W. Lee/The New York TimesSeparate fires broke out in nearby counties and cities in the following days from episodes at a graveyard and at a garbage incinerator. Officials attributed the rapid spread of the fires to dry weather conditions.
The Justice Ministry said it had transferred around 500 inmates in North Gyeongsang Province overnight on Tuesday777-cocl777, according to Yonhap News.