Nearly All Wildfires Extinguished In South Korea With Help Of Rainfall

South Korea Wildfires Consume Ancient Temples

South Korea's aggressive wildfires that have left 28 people dead are nearly contained after rainfall and cooler temperatures helped quell some of the flames, authorities announced Friday.

Korea Forest Service chief Lim Sang-seop said in a televised briefing that all of the main fires in four of the hardest-hit areas in the southeastern part of the country have been fully contained. According to the forest service's website, all but one wildfire remains to be extinguished.

“Hazes have been diminished because of the rain last night, so that’s favorable for securing visibility. Also temperatures are now lower than the last few days, so things are very favorable to put out the wildfires,” Lim said earlier in the day Friday.

The fires have burned thousands of structures, including houses, factories and vehicles, as well as 184 square miles of land. The blazes were classified as the worst South Korea has ever seen, the Associated Press reported, with thousands of personnel working against them this week.

One of the victims included a pilot who died after a helicopter crashed as it aided in the firefight in the town of Uiseong in the southeastern region of South Korea. At least 26 other people were injured during the crash, though there were no other crew members in the aircraft.

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Four firefighters and government workers were killed in Sancheong on Saturday when they became trapped by wind-driven flames, according to officials.

The fire in Uiseong destroyed 20 of the 30 structures at Gounsa, an ancient Buddhist temple complex said to have originated in the 7th century. According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, some artifacts were saved from the fire, including a seated stone Buddha, which is designated a treasure by the state.

Another 1,000-year-old temple in the Uiseong region, Unramsa, was destroyed as well, according to Reuters. Relics were also salvaged from the site before the fires swept in.

More than 30,000 people have evacuated their homes due to the fires. Some of the hardest-hit areas include Andong city, the city of Ulsan and the counties of Uiseong and Sancheong.

South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo said that the wildfires, which began on March 21, were causing worse damage than many wildfires the country has experienced in the past.

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Several of the fires are suspected to be caused by human error, such as residents burning overgrown grass from family tombs. The AP reported that sparks from welders could have ignited some of the blazes as well.

The wildfires have exhibited "the reality of [the] climate crisis," according to Lee Han-kyung, deputy head of the government's disaster response center.