South Korea wildfires become biggest on record as disaster chief points to ‘harsh reality’ of climate crisis

The wildfire is spreading rapidly,

Lee Han-kyung said

The amount of rain is going to be small so it doesn't look like it'll be a big help in trying to extinguish the fire,

Korea Forest Service Minister Lim Sang-seop said at a briefing

Han Duck-sooprime Minister

It is worrying that many of the victims are senior citizens, including patients at nursing hospitals,

Acting President Han Duck-soo said, as he ordered the country's interior minister to relocate to the affected area to oversee relief efforts

This wildfire has once again exposed the harsh reality of a climate crisis unlike anything we've experienced before,

disaster chief Lee said

If a fire breaks out here, it is likely to be triggered by flames spreading from the pine trees, so we are now cutting them down near the site to prevent such a scenario,

Lee added

We are spraying three tonnes of water every day as a fire prevention measure across the premises, including the buildings,

Lee Seung-myung, head of fire safety team at Andong fire department told AFP

The affected areas have seen only half the average rainfall, coupled with unusually strong winds, which have drastically accelerated the spread of the fire and intensified the damage,

he said

26 people have died, eight are seriously injured and 22 have been lightly injured,

he said

Han Duck-sooprime Minister

We are nationally in a critical situation with numerous casualties because of the unprecedented rapid spread of forest fires,

Acting President Han Duck-soo told a government response meeting

The forest fire in Uiseong is affecting four cities and counties — Andong, Cheongsong, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok — with strong winds of up to 27 meters per second since Wednesday afternoon, ... We monitored the area by aircraft to estimate the area affected by the wildfire, but it is difficult to analyze it immediately."

the Korea Forest Service said

We are heartbroken by the loss and devastation caused by the wildfires in Korea."

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul issued a message on social media platform X, saying

My thoughts at this difficult time are with all of my friends in Hahoe village, and with everyone affected by these terrible fires across Andong and the wider region,

he said in a message to Yonhap News Agency

The record for worst ever wildfire is being rewritten,

the acting president said from the government complex

When entering a mountain, ... please do not carry lighters, burners or any other flammables that can cause a wildfire."

he added

I am continuously following the efforts of the Korean authorities, and especially Korea's brave firefighters, to contain and extinguish the fires,

he said

It was an extremely painful feeling, and I wondered why something like this could happen,

Joung-ou told AFP

We were desperately hoping for rain today or tomorrow to help extinguish the flames,

Han added

Once a wildfire starts, extinguishing it requires tremendous resources and puts precious lives in danger,

he said

We kept spraying and guarding it. When the fire was burning on the mountain, fireballs flew here,

he said, adding

Twenty four people are confirmed dead in the wildfires so far,

with 12 seriously injured ... a ministry of interior and safety official told AFP,