Firefighters are struggling to contain the wildfires, which continue to grow rapidly in size, fuelled by strong winds and dry conditions.
South Korean authorities have declared ongoing wildfires the worst to ever hit the country, as the death toll rose again and the affected area doubled in size.
The wildfires – which began late on Friday in Sancheong county in Northern Gyeongsang province – have now killed at least 26 people, local authorities said on Thursday.
Approximately 81,500 acres (33,000 hectares) of land have burned, more than double the area that was reported on Wednesday and far surpassing South Korea’s previous worst-ever wildfire, in March 2000, which scorched 59,000 acres (24,000 hectares) of land.
“We are nationally in a critical situation with numerous casualties because of the unprecedented rapid spread of forest fires,” South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo told a government response meeting, the Reuters news agency reports.
South Korea has relied on a fleet of more than 120 helicopters to battle the fires across several regions – including Gyeongbuk, Uiseong, Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Sancheong – which have spread across mountainous terrain in the country’s southeast, fuelled by strong, dry winds.
South Korea’s meteorological agency has forecast rain, but precipitation is expected to be less than 5mm in most affected areas.
“The amount of rain is going to be small, so it doesn’t look like it’ll be a big help in trying to extinguish the fire,” Korea Forest Service Minister Lim Sang-seop said.
Government officials have said human error likely caused the fires, citing potential man-made triggers, including the use of fire to clear overgrown grass in family tombs or sparks from welding equipment.
Many affected areas have also experienced only half the average rainfall this season, authorities said.
Four firefighters and government workers died in Sancheong county, South Gyeongsang province, on Saturday after becoming trapped by fast-moving flames. A pilot also died when his helicopter crashed during efforts to contain a fire in a mountainous area of Uiseong.
Close to 30,000 residents have been forced to evacuate their homes as fires rip through neighbourhoods and firefighters struggle to contain several blazes raging simultaneously.
Flames have also engulfed half of the 30 structures that make up the Gounsa Buddhist temple in Uiseong county. Originally built in the seventh century, among the buildings damaged at Gounsa are two state-designated “treasures” – a pavilion-shaped structure erected in 1668 and a Joseon Dynasty structure constructed in 1904.
Authorities have also issued an emergency alert for UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site Hahoe Folk Village in Andong county as the blaze draws closer.
