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Japan Times
31-03-2025
- Climate
- Japan Times
South Korea hopes to use break in weather to contain deadly wildfires
Light rain offered some relief to South Korean authorities tackling the country's worst wildfires on record, with exhausted firefighters making another push on Friday to contain blazes stretching 70 kilometers. 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. "Conditions are very good, and we have a chance, so we're deploying all available resources to try to contain the main fires today," Korea Forest Service Minister Lim Sang-seop told a media briefing.
Al Jazeera
29-03-2025
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
South Korea says wildfires worst in its history as death toll rises
South Korean authorities have declared ongoing wildfires the worst to ever hit the country, as the death toll rose again and the affected area doubled in size. The wildfires – which began late on Friday in Sancheong county in Northern Gyeongsang province – have now killed at least 26 people, local authorities said on Thursday. Approximately 81,500 acres (33,000 hectares) of land have burned, more than double the area that was reported on Wednesday and far surpassing South Korea's previous worst-ever wildfire, in March 2000, which scorched 59,000 acres (24,000 hectares) of land. 'We are nationally in a critical situation with numerous casualties because of the unprecedented rapid spread of forest fires,' South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo told a government response meeting, the Reuters news agency reports. South Korea has relied on a fleet of more than 120 helicopters to battle the fires across several regions – including Gyeongbuk, Uiseong, Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Sancheong – which have spread across mountainous terrain in the country's southeast, fuelled by strong, dry winds. South Korea's meteorological agency has forecast rain, but precipitation is expected to be less than 5mm in most affected areas. 'The amount of rain is going to be small, so it doesn't look like it'll be a big help in trying to extinguish the fire,' Korea Forest Service Minister Lim Sang-seop said. Government officials have said human error likely caused the fires, citing potential man-made triggers, including the use of fire to clear overgrown grass in family tombs or sparks from welding equipment. Many affected areas have also experienced only half the average rainfall this season, authorities said. Four firefighters and government workers died in Sancheong county, South Gyeongsang province, on Saturday after becoming trapped by fast-moving flames. A pilot also died when his helicopter crashed during efforts to contain a fire in a mountainous area of Uiseong. Close to 30,000 residents have been forced to evacuate their homes as fires rip through neighbourhoods and firefighters struggle to contain several blazes raging simultaneously. Flames have also engulfed half of the 30 structures that make up the Gounsa Buddhist temple in Uiseong county. Originally built in the seventh century, among the buildings damaged at Gounsa are two state-designated 'treasures' – a pavilion-shaped structure erected in 1668 and a Joseon Dynasty structure constructed in 1904. Authorities have also issued an emergency alert for UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site Hahoe Folk Village in Andong county as the blaze draws closer.
Washington Post
29-03-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
South Korea struggles to contain wildfires that have killed 28
CHEONGSONG, South Korea — Helicopters dumped water over a burning forest in South Korea on Thursday as fire crews struggled to contain the country's worst-ever wildfires, which have killed 28 people, forced at least 37,800 to flee their homes and destroyed thousands of structures and vehicles. Multiple wildfires fueled by strong winds and dry weather have been raging across South Korea's southeastern regions since last Friday. The government has mobilized thousands of personnel, dozens of helicopters and other equipment to extinguish the blazes, but gusty winds are hampering their efforts. Rain was expected later Thursday. But Korea Forest Service chief Lim Sang-seop said the amount — less than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) is forecast — likely won't help much in extinguishing the wildfires. The fatalities include a pilot whose helicopter crashed during efforts to contain a fire Wednesday and four firefighters and other workers who died earlier after being trapped by fast-moving flames. Authorities haven't disclosed details of the civilian dead, except that they are mostly in their 60s or older who found it difficult to escape quickly or who even refused orders to evacuate. They suspect human error caused several of the wildfires, including cases where people started fires while clearing overgrown grass from family tombs or with sparks during welding work. Lee Han-kyung, deputy head of the government's disaster response center, told a meeting Thursday that the wildfires showed 'the reality of climate crisis that we have yet experienced,' according to Yonhap news agency. Calls to his center were unanswered. Scientists say the warming atmosphere around the world is driving ever more extreme weather events, including wildfires, flooding, droughts, hurricanes and heat waves that are killing people and causing billions of dollars in damage every year. The wildfires have burned 38,665 hectares (95,543 acres) of land, the disaster response center said Thursday. Observers say that's the worst figure of its kind in South Korea. The center said the blazes have also injured 32 people and forced more than 37,800 people to evacuate. More than 2,600 structures, including homes, factories and other buildings, as well as vehicles, were damaged or destroyed. As of Thursday morning, the center said authorities were mobilizing more than 9,000 people and about 120 helicopters to battle the wildfires. In Cheongsong, one of the fire-hit areas, thick plumes of smoke were bellowing from Juwang Mountain on Thursday morning. Helicopters repeatedly hovered over the mountain, dropping water. The amount of smoke later appeared to have diminished. At a Buddhist temple near the mountain, workers covered a stone pagoda and other structures with fire-resistant materials, while firefighters poured water on sites near the temple. The hardest-hit areas include Andong city and the neighboring counties of Uiseong and Sancheong, and the city of Ulsan. On Wednesday night, strong winds and smoke-filled skies forced authorities in the southeastern city of Andong to order evacuations in two villages, including Puncheon, home to the Hahoe folk village — a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded around the 14th-15th century. Hikers were advised to leave the scenic Jiri Mountain as another fire spread closer. The fires in the past week have destroyed houses, factories and some historic structures. In Uiseong, about 20 of the 30 structures at the Gounsa temple complex, which was said to be originally built in the 7th century, have burned. Among them were two state-designated 'treasures' — a pavilion-shaped building erected overlooking a stream in 1668, and a Joseon dynasty structure built in 1904 to mark the longevity of a king. The Korea Forest Service wildfire warning is at its highest level, requiring local governments to assign more workers to emergency response, tighten entry restrictions for forests and parks, and recommend that military units withhold live-fire exercises. ___ Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tong-hyung reported from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press photographer Ahn Young-joon in Cheongsong, South Korea, contributed to this report.
Dubai Eye
29-03-2025
- Climate
- Dubai Eye
South Korea hopes to use break in weather to contain deadly wildfires
Light rain offered some relief to South Korean authorities tackling the country's worst wildfires on record, with exhausted firefighters making another push on Friday to contain blazes stretching 70 km. At least 28 people have died and more than 111,197 acres 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. "Conditions are very good, and we have a chance, so we're deploying all available resources to try to contain the main fires today," Korea Forest Service Minister Lim Sang-seop told a media briefing. Uiseong reported fires had been put out in 95 per cent of the area as of early Friday, and flames in 85 per cent 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 and much larger than the Los Angeles fires in January. 'OVERHAUL WILDFIRE RESPONSE' More than 80 helicopters started flying at daybreak on Friday to dump water, the safety ministry said. South Korea relies on helicopters to fight forest fires because of its mountainous terrain. A helicopter pilot died on Wednesday after crashing while trying to tackle a blaze. Poor visibility, partly due to smoke, and strong winds prevented many helicopters from flying at times on Wednesday and Thursday. They are also not used after dark. North Gyeongsang province Governor Lee Cheol-woo said the ferocity of the blaze and the conditions that fuelled it showed that the "current forest fire response must be completely overhauled". He cited how even boats moored in the sea were not safe from the flames, with showers of embers setting 12 vessels ablaze. Lee called for South Korea to consider using larger fixed-wing aircraft to help douse fires. Experts have said the Uiseong fire showed extremely unusual spread in terms of its scale and speed, and that climate change is expected to make wildfires more frequent and deadly globally. A forest service official has said satellite imagery analysis showed the fire travelled at 8.2 km per hour at its peak, equivalent to the pace of an average adult running. 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. The US State Department offered condolences for the loss of lives and damage and said the US military stood ready to help, noting how South Korea had provided "unwavering support" during the wildfires in Los Angeles and Hawaii.
NBC News
28-03-2025
- Climate
- NBC News
Rain and cooler weather help South Korean fire crews battle devastating wildfires
SEOUL, South Korea — Rain and cooler temperatures helped South Korean fire crews as they battled the country's worst-ever wildfires on Friday, as the governor of the hardest-hit region called for overhauling the response to the climate crisis that he says worsened the disaster. The wildfires, which have killed 28 people and razed vast swaths of land in the southeast in the last week, were 85% contained as of Friday morning, Korea Forest Service chief Lim Sang-seop told a televised briefing. He said authorities would launch 'all-out efforts' to extinguish the remaining blazes by bringing more helicopters and firefighters to the areas. The raging inferno has also destroyed thousands of houses, factories, vehicles and other structures, while mountains and hills were stripped of anything but a carpet of smoldering ashes. 'Hazes have been diminished because of the rain last night, so that's favorable for securing visibility. Also temperatures are now lower than the last few days, so things are very favorable to put out the wildfires,' Lim said. Firefighters — many in their 60s, a reflection of one of the world's fastest-aging populations — navigated forests in yellow helmets and red protective suits, spraying suppressants at flames that flickered near their feet. Helicopters dropped buckets of water over hills that glowed red in the night. Residents hunkered down in temporary shelters in places like schools and gyms, but the fire crept dangerously close to some of them too. A video shared by one evacuee shows blazes approaching a school soccer field under a sky choked with smoke. 'I just kept crying this morning,' said 79-year-old Seo Jae Tak, an evacuee at a gym in Andong city, on Thursday. 'When I went back yesterday, the entire mountain had turned to ashes. It's just unbelievable, I can't even put it into words. All I can do is cry.' Authorities were mobilizing about 9,000 people, 125 helicopters and hundreds of other vehicles to battle the wildfires, the government's disaster response center said. The wildfires have burned 118,265 acres of land, forced more than 30,000 people to flee their homes and injured 37 others since last Friday. Officials said Friday that 8,000 residents remained at temporary shelters. The fires have been driven by strong winds and dry weather. While it is difficult to link any one event to climate change, officials and experts say that it is making wildfires more likely and more severe. Scientists have already warned that the warming atmosphere around the world is driving ever more extreme weather events, including wildfires, flooding, droughts, hurricanes and heat waves that are killing people and causing billions of dollars in damage every year. 'We must completely overhaul our wildfire response strategy in the face of extreme climate conditions,' Lee Cheol-woo, governor of North Gyeongsang Province, said at a news conference. Lee noted that the past week has shown how wildfires, fueled by dry and windy conditions, can quickly overwhelm the country's resources. He said he would request that the government establish better evacuation guidelines, adopt more powerful firefighting tools including aircraft equipped with water cannons, and adopt other approaches to improve firefighting efforts during nighttime hours. 'We don't have the equipment for firefighting at night,' Lee said. 'In the night, firefighting is done solely with manual efforts, but with the increased density of our forests compared to the past, it's difficult to manage with just that.' On Thursday, Lee Han-kyung, deputy head of the disaster response center, told a meeting that the wildfires showed 'the reality of climate crisis that we have yet experienced,' according to the Yonhap news agency. The people killed were mostly in their 60s or older. They include a pilot whose helicopter crashed during efforts to contain a fire Wednesday and four firefighters and other workers who died earlier after being trapped by fast-moving flames. Officials say older people found it difficult to evacuate quickly but have not provided details of the civilian dead. In Uiseong, about 20 of the 30 structures at the Gounsa temple complex, which is said to have been originally built in the 7th century, have burned. Among them were two state-designated 'treasures': a pavilion overlooking a stream that dates to 1668, and a Joseon dynasty structure built in 1904 to mark the longevity of a king.
