At least 22 people died as wildfires ravaged South Korea's southern regions amid dry weather and strong winds, government officials said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, firefighters had extinguished most of the flames from the largest wildfires in those areas, but the ongoing dry and windy weather caused setbacks and allowed blazes to spread again.

More than 5,500 people were forced to evacuate from their homes in Andong, the neighboring counties of Uiseong and Sancheong, and the city of Ulsan, where the fires were the largest, according to South Korea's Ministry of the Interior and Safety.