In South Korea, at least 24 people have been killed as multiple wildfires continue to ravage the country’s southeastern region. Authorities said 26 people were injured, with 12 in critical condition. The deadly wildfires have forced more than twenty-three thousand people to flee their homes. Local media reported that most of the victims are senior citizens in their 60s and 70s.
The fires gutted the 1,300-year-old Gounsa Temple in Uiseong City, though many cultural relics were removed and transported to safer ground. Thousands of firefighters and about 5,000 military personnel have been deployed to contain multiple blazes, including helicopters from the U.S. military stationed in Korea. About 17,000 hectares of forest have also been destroyed, making these fires the third largest in South Korea’s history in terms of area. In a statement, Acting President Han Duck-soo said the fires are rewriting the record books for the worst wildfires in Korea’s history. The wildfires first broke out last week in Sancheong County, in the country’s southeast, but have now spread to the neighboring cities of Uiseong, Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, and Yeongdeok.