At least 28 people have died and more than 45,000 hectares of largely forest land in the country’s southeast 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 percent of the area as of early Friday, and flames in 85 percent 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 70 km 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 3 mm fell in some parts of the regions on Thursday 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 Friday, 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 the island of Singapore.
More than 80 helicopters started flying at daybreak on Friday to dump water, the safety ministry said. A helicopter pilot died on Wednesday after crashing while trying to tackle a blaze.
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)
