Hard wind has caused forest fires that started on Friday to quickly spread to several new areas. Hundreds of buildings have been destroyed and over 27,000 people have been forced to leave their homes due to the fires.
South Korea's acting president Han Duck-Soo says in a speech to the nation that the authorities are fighting against the country's worst forest fire in history and that all available resources are being mobilized, reports Yonhap.
The situation is extreme, he says.
A over 1,300 year old Buddhist temple has been destroyed in Uiseong and nearby, a prison has evacuated around 500 inmates.
A pilot has died in connection with a helicopter crash that was working to extinguish the fires. The cause of the crash is being investigated, according to the authorities.
