By The Straits Times | Created at 2025-03-28 02:52:21 | Updated at 2025-03-31 01:54:50
2 days ago
ANDONG, South Korea - Light rain offered some relief to South Korean authorities tackling the country’s worst wildfires on record, with exhausted firefighters making another push on March 28 to contain blazes stretching 70km.
At least 28 people have died and more than 45,000ha of largely forest land in the country’s south-east have been charred or are burning, as strong winds have driven blazes from central Uiseong county to coastal regions over the past week.
Uiseong reported fires had been put out in 95 per cent of the area as of early March 28, and flames in 85 per cent of the neighbouring Andong city, which is home to Unesco World Heritage sites, have been doused, according to the Korea Forest Service.
Yeongdeok county on the east coast, where the fire spread from the initial blaze more than 70km away in under 12 hours, was still fighting to contain the flames, with nearly a third of the area still ablaze.
Light rain of less than 3mm fell in some parts of the regions on March 27 and had offered “a little help”, forest service spokesman Kim Jong-gun said.
Firefighters and helicopters were taking advantage of more favourable weather and better visibility to make a push to make more progress before winds are expected to pick up later on March 28, he said.
The blazes that began in Uiseong have become the biggest single forest fire in South Korea’s history, destroying an area equivalent to about two-thirds of Singapore.
Wildfires also burned large areas in other regions of South Korea.
More than 80 helicopters started flying at daybreak on March 28 to dump water, the safety ministry said. South Korea relies on helicopters to fight forest fires because of its mountainous terrain. A helicopter pilot died on March 26 after crashing while trying to tackle a blaze.
Experts have said the Uiseong fire showed extremely unusual spread in terms of its scale and speed, and that climate change is expected to make wildfires more frequent and deadly globally.
The wildfires have displaced more than 30,000 residents, many of whom are elderly, and ravaged everything in their path, including historic temples and homes, in the mountainous forest regions of North Gyeongsang province. REUTERS
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