South Korean fires kill at least 18 people

South Korean fire crews fought what the active president He said on Wednesday were some of the worst fires ever in the country. At least 18 people have died, according to authorities, as strong winds and dry conditions have helped to supply fires.

Two ancient Buddhist temples were one of the more than 200 buildings that had suffered or destroyed since the fires began on Friday. Tens of thousands of acres have been burned in the southeast, the government said and more than 27,000 people have been evacuated, including about 500 prisoners.

Eight fires were still burning on Wednesday morning, from six on Monday.

In addition to deaths, at least 19 people were injured, six of them seriously, the interior ministry said on Wednesday. Many of those who died were in the 1960s and 1970s, a local police officer said in an information. The government noted that 43,000 acres had been damaged.

The fires seemed to “break the record for the worst fires,” said active President Han Duck-sooo, who was just restored this week after coming into force in December. In a statement, his office said the fires were spreading beyond the original forecasts.

Among the people evacuated from their homes were residents of the 600 -year -old People’s Village Andong Hahoe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site more than 130 miles southeast of Seoul. The villagers described the fire as “the devil” in the social media and expressed their frustration over the lack of success in their placement.

Flames and tobacco destroyed 209 buildings across the area, according to the ministry’s statement, including two temples. Videos from local news stations showed Inferno around and closing the temples over 1,000 years.

Korea’s inheritance service told social media on Wednesday that some treasures from one, the Gounsa Temple, including a Statue of Petrin Buddha, had been removed before the fire arrived.

Local officials closed the roads and train services and some places lost power.

The government said the firefighters had almost 70 % of the largest fire in the Euiseong County, west of the popular village. Their efforts were slowed by 56 -mile winds at Tuesday afternoon, which prevented them from mobilizing helicopters and aircraft.

The first flame began on Friday afternoon in Sancheong County, about 160 miles southeast of the capital. The interior ministry said it was investigating allegations that a farmer’s lawnmaker had begun.

Separate fires broke out in nearby counties and cities in the coming days from episodes in a cemetery and in a rubbish incinerator. Employees attributed the rapid spread of fires to dry weather.

The Ministry of Justice said it had transferred about 500 detainees to North Gyeongsang province on Tuesday, according to Yonhap News.