Deadly wildfires ravage South Korea as dry, windy weather fuels flames

Deadly wildfires in South Korea worsened overnight, officials said Tuesday, as dry, windy weather hampers efforts to contain one of the country’s worst-ever fire outbreaks.

More than a dozen different blazes broke out over the weekend, with the safety minister reporting thousands of hectares burned and four people killed.

“The wildfires have so far affected approximately 14,694 hectares (36,310 acres), with damage continuing to grow,” acting Interior and Safety Minister Ko Ki-dong said.

The extent of damage would make the fires collectively the third-largest in South Korea’s history. The largest was an April 2000 blaze that scorched 23,913 hectares (59,090 acres) across the east coast.

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More than 3,000 people have been evacuated to shelters, Ko said. At least 11 people have been seriously injured.

“Strong winds, dry weather, and haze are hampering firefighting efforts,” Ko told a disaster and safety meeting.

The government is “mobilising all available resources”, he said.

In Uiseong, the sky was full of smoke and haze, AFP reporters saw. Workers at a local temple were attempting to move historical artefacts and cover up Buddhist statues to protect them from possible damage.

The Korea Forest Service said the containment rate for the fire in Uiseong decreased from 60 to 55 percent by Tuesday morning.

More than 6,700 firefighters have been deployed to battle the wildfires, according to the Ministry of Interior and Safety, with nearly two-fifths of the personnel dispatched to Uiseong.

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The government declared a state of emergency in four regions, citing “the extensive damage caused by simultaneous wildfires across the country”.

Family grave

Some types of extreme weather have a well-established link with climate change, such as heatwaves or heavy rainfall.

Other phenomena, such as forest fires, droughts, snowstorms and tropical storms can result from a combination of complex factors.

In Daegu and the North Gyeongsang region, “the air is extremely dry and strong winds are blowing, creating the risk that even a small spark could quickly spread into a large wildfire”, an official from the local meteorological administration said.

The fire in Uiseong was reportedly caused by an individual visiting a family grave.

The person told emergency services: “I accidentally started the fire while cleaning the grave site,” according to local media.

South Korea’s acting president confirmed this was likely the case.

“The wildfire is believed to have been caused by an individual who was visiting an ancestral grave and accidentally started the blaze,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

“Most wildfires are caused by human negligence and the public should strictly follow wildfire prevention guidelines,” he added.

South Korea’s neighbouring Japan was also experiencing wildfires, with hundreds of firefighters battling a blaze in Imabari city of western Ehime region since Sunday.

Another wildfire, which also started on Sunday, was affecting the city of Okayama, burning around 250 hectares and damaging six buildings.

Japan saw the country’s worst wildfire in more than half a century early this month. It engulfed about 2,900 hectares – around half the size of Manhattan –- and killed at least one person.