Officials stated on Thursday that wildfires in South Korea are now the worst and deadliest on record, having destroyed more forest and killed more people than any other fire ever done. The death toll stands at 27.
With the fire blocking off highways and downing communications lines as inhabitants fled in terror, more than a dozen flames broke out over the weekend scorching vast sections of the southeast and driving about 37,000 people to flee.
The Ministry of Interior and Safety of South Korea reported that the death toll probably would grow from 27 persons dead and hundreds more injured. Since the Korea Forest Service began tracking wildfires in 1987, it is the most deaths overall.
Lee Han-kyung, disaster and safety division chief, reported that more than 35,000 hectares (86,500 acres) of forest had been destroyed and that the fire was still “rapidly” expanding “I find it difficult to put in words. Even now, Kim Mi-ja, an 84-year-old Andong resident whose house was destroyed, said her heart feels as like it is about to explode.
After an April 2000 fire that burned 23,913 hectares over the east coast, the degree of damage makes this the biggest wildfire South Korea has ever seen. Authorities claimed changing wind patterns and dry conditions had exposed the limits of traditional firefighting strategies.
