In South Korea, forest fires that were brought under control yesterday have reignited. The fires, which have been ongoing for a week, have claimed the lives of 30 people.

The forest fires that have been affecting South Gyeongsang and North Gyeongsang provinces in South Korea since March 21 and were brought under control yesterday have reignited in some areas.

An announcement from the Gyeongbuk Fire Department mentioned that smoke was seen rising from the rural area of Andong in North Gyeongsang province around 10 p.m. local time, stating that the fire intensified again by early morning.

It was reported that the fires in the Euiseong area to the south of Andong have also reignited, with a significant number of fire crews being dispatched to the region.

DEATH TOLL RISES TO 30

An announcement from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters in South Korea indicated that with the deaths of 2 more people in the fires, the death toll has risen to 30, with 40 reported injuries.

Furthermore, it was noted that 6,885 people from 4,193 households are still staying in temporary evacuation centers. According to a statement from the South Korea Forest Service (KFS), at least 48,000 hectares of land have been burned in the fires. South Korea’s Acting President Han Duck-soo stated that the government will provide administrative and financial support to citizens affected by the fires. Han mentioned, “Ensuring that such a tragedy does not happen again is more important than anything else. We should thoroughly review the government’s intervention system and ensure that we are prepared for major forest fires in the midst of rapid climate change.”

PREVIOUSLY BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL

An announcement from the Korea Forest Service (KFS) made yesterday stated that the fires in North Gyeongsang province were completely brought under control as of 5 p.m. local time, and the fires in South Gyeongsang province were reported to be 93% extinguished.

It was mentioned that the rainfall and decreased temperatures in the region have facilitated the extinguishing efforts.