At least 24 fatalities have been reported as unprecedented wildfires sweep

At least 24 fatalities have been reported as unprecedented wildfires sweep across South Korea. The nation's forest service announced that thousands of firefighters are engaged in combating at least five active blazes throughout the country. In Uiseong, South Korea, on March 24, 2025, structures are engulfed in flames as wildfires ravage the area.

As of March 26, 2025, at least 24 individuals have lost their lives and over 20 others are injured due to the wildfires raging across South Korea's southeastern region. Thousands of firefighters and military personnel are battling to control the rapidly spreading fires. The weekend saw the ignition of over a dozen fires, prompting the urgent evacuation of approximately 27,000 residents.
According to the Korea Forest Service, firefighters were managing at least five active wildfires nationwide by Wednesday morning. The death toll rose to 24 on Wednesday as wind-driven flames swept through neighborhoods, destroying historic sites, including a temple that has stood for centuries. Among the deceased was a firefighting helicopter pilot whose aircraft crashed in the mountainous region of Uiseong. Yonhap, South Korea's official news agency, reported that four victims were found deceased on a road late on Tuesday night, having perished after their car overturned while trying to escape the fires. On March 25, 2025, smoke billows from a wildfire that has devastated areas in Andong, South Korea.

The wildfires ignited late on Friday in Sancheong County in Northern Gyeongsang province before advancing to nearby Uiseong County—approximately 180 km (111 miles) southeast of Seoul—and further spreading to Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang, and Yeongdeok counties. Local authorities in Andong and surrounding southeastern towns have mandated evacuations as firefighters work tirelessly to manage the blazes, which have consumed over 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of forest land and destroyed hundreds of structures, including the Gounsa Temple in Uiseong, which is more than 1,000 years old. Valuable national treasures housed at the temple, established in 681, were relocated to safer locations around the country, as reported by Yonhap.
Additionally, an emergency alert has been issued for Hahoe Folk Village—a UNESCO World Heritage Site beloved by tourists in Andong—due to the approaching inferno. "The wildfire is currently located about 8 km (4.9 miles) from Hahoe Village," stated an official from the Korea Heritage Service, noting that fire trucks and numerous firefighters are on standby, spraying water around the area to curb the fire's spread. As the wildfire nears, a man is seen spraying water on a thatched roof in Andong's Hahoe Folk Village.

Residents of this historical site have been ordered to evacuate, while a significant Buddhist temple has been lost to the flames, underscoring South Korea's struggle to contain the escalating wildfire crisis impacting the southeastern part of the country. Lee Byung-doo, a forest disaster expert at the National Institute of Forest Science, remarked that the fire in Uiseong displayed an "unimaginable" scale and intensity.

Al jazeera