South Korea has been battling fires since the weekend. The death toll from forest fires in the country’s southeast has risen to 15.

Throughout the night, strong winds in South Korea worsened the flames, making it challenging for firefighters to extinguish the fires.

Officials reported that more than 15,000 hectares of land had been charred by forest fires in the country. They shared that the death toll from the forest fires, which began in the country’s southeast, had risen to 15. Authorities also indicated that a historic temple in the Uiseong region had been destroyed by the fire, with valuable items inside being relocated to different areas. Officials noted that thousands of personnel continued to intervene in the fires.

TEMPLE ENGULFED BY FLAMES The fire also caused damage to the centuries-old Gounsa temple in Uiseong city. As efforts were made to extinguish the flames from the air, officials covered a nearby Buddha statue with fire-resistant fabric. FOREST FIRES IN SOUTH KOREA The South Korean government had declared a national disaster due to forest fires in the southeastern regions, including Ulsan city, North Gyeongsang, and South Gyeongsang provinces. The fires, which began in Sancheong on March 21 and spread to Ulsan city, had resulted in 15 people being injured and over 3,300 individuals being evacuated. Throughout the country, forest fires were reported in 16 different areas, leading to 15,000 hectares of forest land being burnt. A statement from the Ministry of Justice mentioned that many inmates in the Cheongsong area prison were transferred to unaffected prisons to ensure their safety amidst the fires.