SEOUL, March 27: South Korea is grappling with its worst-ever wildfires, which have now claimed at least 26 lives and destroyed historic temples, marking the disaster as the country’s most severe natural fire event.

The wildfires, which began in central Uiseong county, have rapidly spread and doubled in size on Thursday, with over 33,000 hectares (81,500 acres) of land either burned or still ablaze, making this the largest single forest fire in South Korea’s history. The previous record for the largest wildfire was set in March 2000, when 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) were affected.

Acting President Han Duck-soo addressed the nation, saying that the country is in a critical situation due to the unprecedented rapid spread of the forest fires. The fires have now been raging for nearly a week, particularly in the southeastern mountainous regions, and the military has been forced to release stocks of aviation fuel to ensure firefighting helicopters remain in operation. Over 120 helicopters have been deployed across three regions to battle the flames, as South Korea relies on aerial assistance due to its mountainous terrain.

The wildfires originating in Uiseong have been moving eastward, nearing the coast, fueled by gusty winds and dry conditions that have exacerbated the situation. While the meteorological agency forecasts some rain for the southwest, the amount of precipitation is expected to be under five millimeters, which is unlikely to significantly help extinguish the fires. “The amount of rain is going to be small, so it doesn’t look like it’ll be big help in trying to extinguish the fire,” said Korea Forest Service Minister Lim Sang-seop.

Experts have pointed out that the Uiseong fire demonstrated an extremely unusual spread in terms of both its scale and speed, with concerns that climate change will make wildfires more frequent and deadly worldwide. Human-caused climate change has contributed to higher temperatures, which have intensified the dry conditions in the region, turning dry landscapes into dangerous fuel for the fires.

According to Climate Central, an independent body of scientists and researchers, these higher temperatures are turning once-dry landscapes into hazardous fire fuel.