A mountain near Goun Temple, an ancient temple in Uiseong County, about 180 kilometers southeast of Seoul, burns as wildfires spread across the southeastern region on March 25, 2025, in this photo provided by the government of North Gyeongsang Province. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The death toll from a wave of wildfires that tore through southeastern region has risen to 18, with one person missing, forest service officials said Wednesday, as firefighters still battled to contain the rapidly spreading blazes.
The fires that began in Sancheong County in South Gyeongsang Province last Friday have spread to nearby Uiseong, and were advancing to neighboring Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok, fueled by strong and dry winds.
Of the victims, two were found in Andong, three were in Cheongsong, six were in Yeongyang and seven in Yeongdeok, officials said. The remaining one person was missing in Cheongsong.
Another 10 people were harmed, with two sustained serious injuries.
In Yeongyang, four of the five victims were found burned to death on a road at around 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, acting President Han Duck-soo called for all-out efforts to help prevent the further spread of deadly wildfires, describing them as “the worst ever wildfires.”
So far, the wildfires have destroyed 17,000 hectares of forest and 209 houses and factories, Han said.
The engulfing flames destroyed Goun Temple in Uiseong, an ancient temple built in 681 during the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). National treasures stored in the temple had been relocated to other locations.
Thousands of firefighters and dozens of helicopters and vehicles were deployed to fight the blazes.
Since last Friday, the military has deployed some 5,000 service members and 146 helicopters to help combat the wildfires raging in the southeastern region.
The justice ministry said around 500 inmates at a prison in North Gyeongsang Province were transferred to another facility overnight to escape the flames.
The ministry had initially considered transferring some 3,500 inmates from several prisons in the region but reduced the number as some of the fires were put out.
(Yonhap)
