'Worst ever' wildfires rage in South Korea, killing at least 18 people

South Korea is facing “snowballing damage” from some of its worst ever wildfires that have killed at least 18 people and forced 27,000 to evacuate.

The blazes have destroyed a 1,300-year-old Buddhist temple, houses, factories and vehicles, and burned more than 43,000 acres.

In a televised address, South Korea‘s acting president Han Duck-soo said the wildfires that began last Friday were causing worse damage than many other past wildfires.

“Damages are snowballing,” Mr Han said. “There are concerns that we’ll have wildfire damages that we’ve never experienced, so we have to concentrate all our capabilities to put out the wildfires in the rest of this week.”

He added: “We are deploying all available personnel and equipment in response to the worst wildfires ever but the situation is not good.”

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Around 4,650 firefighters, soldiers and other personnel, along with approximately 130 helicopters, were struggling to extinguish the fires as strong winds swept through the affected areas overnight.

The fire were threatening several UNESCO World Heritage sites – Hahoe Village and the Byeongsan Confucian
Academy – in Andong city on Wednesday, a city official said.

The flames had already burnt down Goun Temple, an ancient temple built in 681, Yonhap news agency reported.

Officials in several southeastern cities and towns ordered residents to evacuate on Tuesday as firefighters struggled to contain multiple blazes fuelled by dry winds.

Among those who have died were four firefighters and government workers who were killed on Saturday after being trapped by fast-moving flames driven by strong winds, according to officials.

Government officials suspect human error was the cause of several of the fires, possibly due to the use of fire while clearing overgrown grass in family tombs or sparks from welding work.

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