Wildfires spread over a hillside in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Yonhap By Lee Hae-rin Wildfires in the southeastern part of Korea appear to be getting out of control due to strong winds and extremely dry weather, burning over 15,000 hectares of woodland and causing 16 deaths, the forest authorities said Tuesday. A massive forest fire that started in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, has advanced for four days, spreading to Andong, Cheongsong, Juwangsan National Park, Yeongyang and Yeongdeok, which is located 63 kilometers from Uiseong. The Korea Forest Service announced at 4 p.m. Tuesday that it had issued a national crisis warning for forest fire disasters in the "severe" stage for all regions nationwide. Firefighting operations are underway but deployed personnel face difficulties in approaching the fire sites due to smoke from the forest fires that spread at night, according to forest authorities. A woman in her 60s was found burned to death near the wildfire site in Cheongsong, according to police. The Andong city government ordered all residents to evacuate at 5 p.m., saying, "The forest fires are spreading throughout the jurisdiction." Water supply facilities were damaged due to forest fires in some parts of North Gyeongsang Province, and train services and highway traffic in the southeastern region were suspended from 7:30 p.m. Yeongyang and Yeongdeok counties also ordered residents to evacuate after 6 p.m. Wildfires spread to parts of a village in Uiseong, North Gyeongsang Province, Tuesday. Yonhap Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice transferred about 3,400 inmates from prisons in Andong and North Gyeongsang Province to nearby prisons due to the wildfires. It was the first time that the ministry ordered a large-scale transfer of prisoners due to natural disaster. The loss of cultural assets due to forest fires is also significant. Goun Temple, an ancient, thousand-year-old temple in Uiseong, was completely destroyed by fire. National treasures stored in the temple had been relocated to other locations. Monks and officials of Daejeon Temple in Cheongsong, North Gyeongsang Province were also ordered to evacuate for safety. Built in 681 during the 668-935 Unified Silla period, the ancient temple was home to a number of cultural assets and national treasures. UNESCO World Heritage sites Andong Hahoe Village and Byeongsan Seowon are also at risk of being engulfed in flames. The city issued an evacuation order for its residents as the wildfire spread to within 10 kilometers of the village as of 3 p.m. The Korea Heritage Service issued a “severe” level of national disaster warning for heritage sites at 5:30 p.m. across the country. This was its first time being raised to the highest level of the four-tier national heritage disaster warning system.
