Kathryn Armstrong
BBC News
Watch: the firefighters rush to fight forest fires in South Korea
Firefighters in South Korea run to save old lives and artifacts from the largest forest fire in the history of the country.
Until now, at least 27 people have been killed so far, according to the country’s interior ministry, which makes the fire also dead in South Korea. 32 other people were injured, some seriously.
Most people killed were in sixties and the 1970s, according to local officials.
It is believed that forest fires, which first broke out in the south-east of the County of Sancheong almost a week ago, were accidentally launched by local human activities.
Fucked by strong and dry winds, fires have spread to several neighboring counties, including Uiseong – where the largest of all flames is.
The authorities think that this fire broke out while visitors took care of a family grave in the hills. The video sequences of the tomb show a lighter on the ground.
Other fires are presumed to have been launched by a welding spark or a waste burn.
The fires have burned more than 35,810 hectares (88,500 acres) so far – about half the size of New York. While they continue to spread, artifacts, including wooden printing blocks and paintings, were moved from the main temples.
The authorities closely monitor potential damage at two sites listed by UNESCO: Hahoe Village and Byeongsan Seowon in Andong City.
The fires have already destroyed the temple of Gounsa, which was built in 618 AD and was one of the greatest temples in the province.
A Buddhist architectural structure considered that a national treasure of the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910) was also destroyed, confirmed the forest authorities.
So far, tens of thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate because of fires.
Kwon Young-Chang, 35, told the BBC that smoke had filled his neighborhood in Andong, forcing him to go north in Yecheon.
“Damage to Andong are devastating, and our neighbors, who have undergone great losses, are in depth desperate,” he said.
Kwon said that the official information he had received had been confusing and that he had received updates to the social media pages from the local authorities. He feared that the elderly did not have access to them.
Another resident of Andong, who asked not to be appointed, told BBC Korean that her house, in which her family had lived for over 30 years, was “completely burned” in just a few hours.
“There is nothing left. You can’t even say where the house was,” she said. “It is difficult to see the village like this.”
GARIM LAVER
The beekeeping site of Jung Jung-Suk in the county of Cheongsong was destroyed by fires
Jang Jung-Suk, who lives in the county of Cheongsong, says that his beekeeping site was completely destroyed by the fire.
“We saw really strong winds the day the fire spread to our village. It was difficult to stay motionless,” said Jang.
After having briefly evacuated, she and her husband returned to find their damaged house and their business, which they had been building for five years and were barely starting to reach a point of stability with, disappeared. Jang says her husband could not hold back tears when he saw the damage.
“I am at a loss. I have to understand how to start again,” she said.
Although the weather rarely causes forest fires alone, it can give conditions that help forest fires to settle and spread.
This is exactly what happened in South Korea. Temperatures for several degrees above the seasonal standard have combined with dry soil, strong winds and low humidity to fuel fires which, according to the authorities, were ignited by human activity.
Lee Han-Gyeong, the head of the government in charge of emergency intervention, said: “We are witnessing the reality of the climate crisis like never before”.
With additional reports from SUHNWOK LEE
