At least 24 dead as wildfires ravage southern South Korea

Wind-driven wildfires that were among South Korea's worst ever were ravaging the country's southern regions, killing 24 people, destroying more than 200 structures and forcing 27,000 residents to evacuate, officials said Wednesday.

Most of the victims are in their 60s and 70s, say authorities, adding that some 26 people are injured, with 12 in critical condition.

The death toll included a pilot who died after a helicopter crashed during efforts to contain wildfires in the southeastern town of Uiseong, one of the hardest-hit areas. The aircraft had no other crew members. 

The fires started in Sancheong county on Friday afternoon and later spread to Uiseong county, authorities said. Fueled by strong and dry winds, the fires are advancing to the neighboring counties of Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok, Yonhap news agency reported.

In a televised address, South Korea's acting President Han Duck-soo said the wildfires were the worst so far.

"Damages are snowballing," Han said. "There are concerns that we'll have wildfire damages that we've never experienced, so we have to concentrate all our capabilities to put out the wildfires in the rest of this week."

Han said crews were struggling to extinguish the wildfires because strong winds swept the areas overnight. Han said about 4,650 firefighters, soldiers and other personnel were working Wednesday with the help of about 130 helicopters. He said that "a small amount" of 5-10 millimeters of rain was expected Thursday.

As of Wednesday evening, firefighters were fighting at least four active wildfires, including in the southeastern coastal town of Yeongdeok, which alerted residents of the nearest village to evacuate to an indoor gymnasium.

Strong winds and smoke-filled skies forced authorities in the southeastern city of Andong to order evacuations in two villages, including Puncheon, which is home to the Hahoe folk village – a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded around the 14th-15th century. Hikers were advised to leave the scenic Jirisan Mountain, one of the country's largest national parks, as another fire spread closer.

On Tuesday, officials said firefighters had extinguished most of the flames from the largest wildfires in those areas, but wind and dry conditions allowed them to spread again.

The blaze in Uiseong destroyed nearly half of more than 30 structures at Gounsa, a temple that was said to have been originally built in the 7th century. Among the burned structures were two state-designated "treasures" – a pavilion-shaped building erected on a stream in 1668 and a Joseon Dynasty structure built in 1904 to mark the longevity of a king.

The Korea Forest Service said it had raised its wildfire warning to the highest level nationwide, requiring local governments to assign more workers to emergency response, tighten entry restrictions for forests and parks, and recommend that military units withhold live-fire exercises.

Government officials suspect human error caused several of the fires, possibly due to the use of fire while clearing overgrown grass in family tombs or sparks from welding work.

(With input from AP)