South Korea battles worst-ever wildfires as death toll hits 26

South Korea wildfires double in size, 26 dead, historic sites destroyed, climate change blamed for rapid spread.

Wildfires raging in South Korea doubled in size on Thursday (March 27, 2025) from a day earlier, as authorities called the blazes the country's worst natural fire disaster with at least 26 people killed and historic temples incinerated.

More than 33,000 hectares (81,500 acres) have been charred or were still burning in the largest of the fires that began in the central Uiseong county, making it the biggest single forest fire in South Korea's history. The previous record was 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) in a March 2000 fire.

"We are nationally in a critical situation with numerous casualties because of the unprecedented rapid spread of forest fires," Acting President Han Duck-soo told a government response meeting.

The military has released stocks of aviation fuel to help keep firefighting helicopters flying to douse flames across mountainous regions in the southeast of the country where fires have been burning now for nearly a week.

More than 120 helicopters have been deployed in three regions battling the blazes, 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.

The wildfires that originated in Uiseong have been moving rapidly eastward, spreading almost to the coast, carried by gusty winds and with dry conditions aggravating the situation.

The Uiseong fire began spreading quickly on Wednesday, reaching the coastal county of Yeongdeok 51 km (32 miles) away in just 12 hours, said Won Myung-soo, director of satellite imagery analysis for the national forestry service.