South Korea firefighters deploy helicopters as wildfires reignite

AFP | Seoul, South Korea
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South Korean firefighters deployed helicopters on Saturday as the country’s largest wildfires on record, which had ravaged vast areas in the southeast, reignited in a city in the region, according to officials.

More than a dozen fires, fueled by high winds and dry conditions, have killed 30 people and injured many others in southeastern regions, an official from the interior ministry reported on Saturday.

The fires flared up again early Saturday in Andong, a city in the hardest-hit North Gyeongsang province. In response, authorities deployed eight helicopters to the area, a spokesperson from the Korea Forest Service told AFP.

This occurred a day after the primary fire in the province, where 26 of the 30 victims had died, was extinguished.

“It seems that the remaining embers have flared up a bit,” said the official. “We plan to deploy more helicopters to the area in Andong.”

The fires began on Saturday last week and have continued for days. As of the latest reports, over 2,900 homes in the region have been destroyed.

An official reported that more than 35,000 hectares (86,500 acres) of forest have burned, and several historic sites, including the 7th-century Gounsa temple complex in Uiseong, have been destroyed.

The scale of the destruction has made this the largest wildfire in South Korea’s history.

Later on Saturday, a North Gyeongsang provincial official stated that helicopters were still being used in Andong to put out smaller flames and smoke.

“Given the size of the area, it may take some time to complete all operations and fully extinguish the fires,” said Do Gyu-myeong of the North Gyeongsang provincial government.

Most of the victims were elderly, according to the Korea Forest Service. Among the fatalities was a 70-year-old pilot whose helicopter crashed on Wednesday while attempting to control the flames.

The fires have been exacerbated by high winds and extremely dry conditions, with the region experiencing below-average rainfall after South Korea’s hottest year on record in 2024.

The interior ministry indicated that the wildfires were accidentally triggered by a visitor at a grave and “sparks from a brush cutter.”

Lee Hye-young, a 65-year-old Andong resident, shared her trauma from the event, saying, “It was really scary to see the sparks flying around all at once. While living in North Gyeongsang, I never thought such a large disaster would strike us.”