S. Korea wildfires kill 24, firefighting helicopter crashes

UISEONG COUNTY, South Korea — The death toll in the wildfires raging across South Korea's southeastern region rose to 24 and the pilot of a firefighting helicopter was killed when the aircraft crashed on Wednesday, as the country battles some of its worst forest fires in decades.

The deadly wildfires have spread rapidly and forced more than 27,000 residents to flee their homes, the government said. The blazes, fueled by strong winds and dry weather, have razed entire neighborhoods, closed schools and forced authorities to transfer hundreds of inmates from prisons.

"We are deploying all available personnel and equipment in response to the worst wildfires ever, but the situation is not good," acting President Han Duck-soo said.

The Korea Forest Service said 24 people had been confirmed dead in the fires. Many of those who had perished were in their 60s and 70s, said Son Chang-ho, a local police official.

The Forest Service also said one of its firefighting helicopters crashed while trying to extinguish a blaze and the pilot was killed.

South Korea relies on helicopters to tackle forest fires because of its mountainous terrain and the incident led to the brief grounding of the fleet.

The Uiseong fire, only 68 percent contained and exacerbated by gusty winds, shows "unimaginable" scale and speed, said Lee Byung-doo, a forest disaster expert at the National Institute of Forest Science.

Climate change is projected to make wildfires more frequent globally, Lee said, citing the unusual timing of wildfires that ravaged part of Los Angeles in January and a recent wildfire in northeast Japan.

Kim Jong-gun, a spokesperson for the Korea Forest Service, said the agency planned to secure more wildfire-fighting helicopters, responding to criticism about a lack of equipment and helicopters.

The blazes broke out on Saturday and were threatening several UNESCO World Heritage sites in Andong city on Wednesday, a city official said, as authorities sprayed fire retardants to try to protect them.

The flames had already burned down Goun Temple, which was built in 681.

Agencies Via Xinhua