People death in Wildfires ravage South Korea 2025

News from South Korea today reveals that at least 24 people have died. This is one of the country’s worst-ever wildfire outbreaks. Officials confirmed the fatalities on Wednesday. Multiple raging blazes are causing “unprecedented damage” and threatening two UNESCO-listed sites. People deaths in wildfires ravaged South Korea 2025. More than a dozen fires broke out over the weekend. They scorched wide swathes of the southeast. The fires forced around 27,000 people to urgently evacuate. The fire cut off roads and downed communications lines as residents fled in panic.

The death toll jumped to 24 on Wednesday as wind-driven flames tore through neighborhoods and razed an ancient temple. A Ministry of Interior and Safety official said, “Twenty-four people are confirmed dead in the wildfires so far.” Twelve are seriously injured. They added that these were “preliminary figures” and the toll could rise. Most of those killed were residents. However, at least three firefighters were killed. Additionally, a pilot in a firefighting helicopter died. His aircraft crashed in a mountain area during the wildfires ravaging South Korea in 2025. Officials reported this incident.

According to the interior ministry, the wildfires have charred 17,398 hectares (42,991 acres). The blaze in Uiseong county alone accounted for 87 percent of the total. The extent of damage already makes it South Korea’s second largest fire. The largest fire occurred in April 2000 and scorched 23,913 hectares across the east coast. The government has raised the crisis alert to its highest level. It has also taken the rare step of transferring some inmates out of prisons in the area. This decision was taken amidst the people’s deaths in wildfires ravaging South Korea in 2025.

“Wildfires burning for a fifth consecutive day… are causing unprecedented damage,” South Korea’s acting president Han Duck-soo said. He addressed an emergency safety and disaster meeting. He stated that the blazes were “developing in a way that exceeds existing prediction models.” They are surpassing earlier expectations. Throughout the night, chaos continued in several areas. Power and communication lines were cut, and roads were blocked,” he added.

Kwon So-han, who is 79 years old, is a resident of Andong. He stated that “the wind was so strong.” He also mentioned that he fled as soon as he received the evacuation order. “The fire came from the mountain and fell on my house,” he said. “Those who haven’t experienced it won’t know. I could only bring my body.”

Authorities had been using helicopters to battle the blazes but suspended all such operations after a helicopter crashed Wednesday. This crash killed the pilot on board. Changing wind patterns and dry weather had revealed the limitations of conventional firefighting methods. The fires are “the most devastating” yet in South Korea, acting president Han added. By Wednesday, two UNESCO-listed sites popular with tourists were under threat. These sites were the historic Hahoe Folk Village and Byeongsan Seowon. The wildfires ravaging South Korea and causing multiple people’s deaths in 2025 endangered them.

Authorities said late Wednesday that the fire was just five kilometers away from Hahoe. This village has some houses covered with thatched roofs. Firefighters were also on standby at nearby Byeongsan Seowon, known for its pavilion-style ancient academies. The fire-hit region had been experiencing unusually dry weather with below-average precipitation. The South had more than double the number of fires this year compared to last.

Some types of extreme weather have a well-established link with climate change, such as heat waves or heavy rainfall. Other phenomena, such as forest fires, droughts, snowstorms, and tropical storms, can result from a combination of complex factors.

“We can’t say that it’s only due to climate change. However, climate change is directly affecting the changes we are experiencing now. It also has indirect effects. This is a sheer fact,” Yeh Sang-Wook, professor of climatology at Seoul’s Hanyang University, said. “As the atmosphere becomes warmer due to climate change, the water vapor in the ground evaporates more easily. So, the amount of moisture contained in the ground decreases. All this creates the conditions wildfires can occur more frequently.”