26 people died in the fires, fire also threatens historical artifacts
The forest fire that flared up in Sancheong district last Friday and spread to the neighboring regions of Southeast South Korea are still extinguished. So far, it has already claimed 26 lives, 30 people are injured, eight of them worse. The fire was captured by almost 36,000 hectares, the authorities declared emergency conditions. Acting South Korean President Han Duck-Soo said these fires write new records in the history of the worst of such accidents in the country.
Due to the wind, it is also dangerous to extinguish by helicopters, one even crashed on Tuesday when firing. However, the fires are rapidly expanding, with variable wind patterns and dry weather help. Today, the weather forecasters predict slight rain, but this is unlikely to be sufficient in the fight against fiery teeth, German news agency dpa reports.
Due to the fires starting in the southeast 21. In March, tens of thousands of people were also displaced. Photo: Kim Hong’s/Reuters
Tens of thousands of people: 27,000 were evacuated due to forest fires. The resident of Andong, who wanted to remain unnamed, is for Korean BBC said her house was « completely burned » in just a few hours. She has lived with her family for over 30 years. “The fire destroyed everything, nothing left. It is no longer clear where exactly the house stood, « she said. The evacuation warning received 25. March around 5pm local time. Shortly thereafter, she noticed that the fire was spreading behind the village and was burned by a strong wind.
Authorities believe that many fires in nature have erupted due to the carelessness of people or people. human activities; The biggest fire in the Uiseong County began when visitors took care of the family grave in the hills. A video from the burial ground shows a lighter on the floor.
Other fires are assumed to have been caused by welding spark or burning garbage. In the countryside, it is common for residents to burn waste. The government sends daily messages calling on residents to avoid burning fire, including burning garbage.
When history and culture are burning
Videos, published on social networks, show fires that burn in historical, thousands of years old temples, while firefighters rush to save cultural artifacts from fiery teeth.
Authorities believe that human activities have triggered several fires, but strong winds and dry soil have allowed them to spread rapidly. Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP
Throughout the southeastern region of South Korea, workers are trying to move historical objects outside the reach of flames. Authorities say they have moved more than ten from larger temples, including wooden printing blocks and images.
Fiery teeth have already been destroyed by a 1300 -year -old Goun Temple in Uiseong, one of the largest in the province that has long served as a Buddhist landmark.
Destroyed Gouna Temple Bell. Photo: Kim Hong’s/Reuters
The huge statue of Buddha, which was in the temple, remained unharmed, as it was covered by workers with a fireproof for several hours before the fire reached the city. As the fire approached, other artifacts were taken from the temple. While forest fires continue to spread, authorities are now closely monitoring any damage in two places that are on the UNESCO list: Hahoe and Byeongsan Seowon villages in Andong.
At the end of the week, several fires in the southeast of the country erupted, destroying nearly 36,000 hectares of forest areas so far, making them the most comprehensive in the history of South Korea. Photo: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP
Such a big fire last erupted 25 years ago
In Korea, the fires usually occur and in the fall, but according to the BBC, they are the worst they saw. At restaurants, TVs are set to special reports. People are glued to the images of burnt villages and the red glow in the sky. Our phones rose several times a day with textual emergency warnings sent by the government, according to the BBC Rapporteur.
Such a large fire last erupted 25 years ago. But it was never so deadly. Most of the dead in the current fire in nature were local, older people, in their 60s and 70s, caught by flames. For the most part, fires are near the coast, as such a strong wind inside is not normal.
The Uiseong district, where it is naked, is 65 kilometers from water. There is also a strong shade of climate change. Lee Han-Gyeong, a government officer responsible for emergency response, said that « we are witnessing a reality of climate crisis as never before. »
