Helicopters dumped water over South Korea’s southeastern forests on Thursday as firefighters and military personnel worked tirelessly to control the country’s worst-ever wildfires. The devastating fires have already claimed 27 lives, forced 37,000 people to evacuate, and destroyed over 300 buildings.
The wildfires, fueled by dry weather and strong winds, have been raging since last Friday, with no signs of slowing down. Despite the government’s mobilization of thousands of personnel and dozens of helicopters, strong gusts of wind are complicating firefighting efforts.
While rain is expected later Thursday, the Korea Forest Service chief, Lim Sang-seop, indicated that the forecasted rainfall of less than 5 millimeters (0.2 inches) would likely be insufficient to put out the flames.
The tragic toll includes a helicopter pilot who died when his aircraft crashed while battling the fires on Wednesday, as well as four firefighters and workers who were trapped by fast-moving flames earlier.
Authorities have revealed that the majority of the civilian victims were elderly, primarily in their 60s or older. Many of these victims had difficulty escaping the fires or chose not to evacuate when ordered.
The cause of several of the wildfires is suspected to be human error, with reports indicating that some fires were sparked while people were clearing grass from family tombs or by welding activities.
