South Korea has been battling fires since the weekend. The death toll has risen to 15 in forest fires that began in the southeast of the country.

Throughout the night in South Korea, the wind intensified the flames even more. Firefighters are struggling to extinguish the fires.

According to Yonhap, officials made statements about forest fires that destroyed more than 15,000 hectares of land in the country. Officials shared information that the death toll in forest fires starting in the southeast of the country had risen to 15. Officials stated that a historic temple in the Uiseong region was also lost in the fire, mentioning that valuable items inside the temple were relocated to different areas. Authorities reported that thousands of personnel are continuing to respond to the fires.

TEMPLE FALLS VICTIM TO FLAMES The fire also caused damage to the centuries-old Gounsa temple in Uiseong city. While aerial interventions were made to extinguish the flames, officials covered the nearby Buddha statue, located on a mountain, with fire-resistant fabric. FOREST FIRES IN SOUTH KOREA The South Korean government declared a national disaster due to forest fires in the southeastern regions, including the city of Ulsan, North Gyeongsang, and South Gyeongsang provinces. The fires, which started on March 21 in Sancheong and spread to Ulsan city, resulted in 15 injuries and the evacuation of over 3,300 people. Across the country, 16 different forest fire reports were received, with 15,000 hectares of forest land being burnt. The Ministry of Justice stated that many prisoners in the Cheongsong area’s prison were relocated to unaffected prisons due to the fire.