Korea grapples with worst wildfires in its history

Mountains remain burned after wildfires around a village in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, Thursday. Yonhap

Wildfires that swept through southeastern Korea were possibly the worst in the nation's history, killing at least 27 people, destroying almost 37,000 hectares of forest and displacing more than 37,000 residents, the government said Thursday.

The fire that started in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, on March 21 is spreading at a record speed of 8.2 kilometers per hour as of 2 p.m., the fire authorities said.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, 37,185 people had evacuated their homes as of 5 a.m. Thursday. Among them, 29,911 are from Uiseong and Andong in North Gyeongsang Province, where the wildfire damage is most severe.

While 20,486 evacuees have returned home, 16,700 remained in shelters.

The fires have destroyed over 2,572 buildings, including houses, temples and factories.

A Marine Corps helicopter is on a firefighting operation in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, Thursday. Yonhap

Forest and firefighting authorities deployed 4,635 personnel and 79 helicopters to battle the blaze in 10 regions as of 5 a.m. Thursday.

The damaged forest area had reached 36,900 hectares, surpassing the country's previous record for the worst wildfire in 2000, which destroyed 23,794 hectares of forest along the east coast.

Meanwhile, a worker monitoring the wildfire, aged 69, was found burned to death during a firefighting operation in Yeongdeok at 11:50 a.m.

The fires in Ulju and Gimhae of South Gyeongsang Province have been extinguished.

About 5 millimeters of rain were expected to fall in the afternoon in North Gyeongsang Province on Thursday, according to weather officials.

However, the precipitation is unlikely to have a critical effect on extinguishing the flames.

The military announced that an additional 48 military helicopters have been deployed to support the firefighting efforts.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, a total of approximately 6,000 military personnel and 242 military helicopters have been deployed for firefighting since the wildfires broke out.

Fire trucks and firefighting personnel are on standby near Hahoe Folk Village and Byeongsan Seowon Confucian academy, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Andong.

Military personnel engage in a firefighting operation in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, Thursday. Yonhap

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety allocated an additional 55 billion won ($37.5 million) of relief funds for the affected regions, Thursday. The ministry had granted a 26 billion won emergency relief fund on March 23.

While highways in the southeastern region remain closed for safety due to the blaze, the fires disrupted electricity and water supply in several villages in the affected area, prompting local governments to supply residents with bottled water and other emergency supplies.

Nearly 2,500 houses in Andong experienced power outages, with officials still working to restore electricity to 177 of them.

The neighboring county of Yeongdeok also suffered water and power disruptions due to wildfires, and communication services were also down in the county overnight before being restored early Thursday.

Wildfire spreads in the mountains of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Thursday. Yonhap

Meanwhile, another blaze that broke out in Muju, North Jeolla Province, on Wednesday night is spreading.

The fire destroyed 904 hectares of forest and forced 355 residents to evacuate as of Thursday.

Forest authorities are battling the fire with 1,250 personnel, 13 helicopters and 78 fire trucks.

Also, a fire broke out in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, north of Seoul, around 7:15 p.m., but was extinguished about an hour later after 46 firefighters were dispatched.