South Korea is plagued by large forest fires

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The fires in South Korea have been fanned by strong winds for a week spreading unchecked. Temperatures in the region dropped earlier this week and more rainfall is helping to contain the fires. Firefighting helicopters and planes from across the country have been called in to help extinguish the difficult-to-reach mountainous areas.

Better weather and overnight rains helped to nearly extinguish five major fires forcing about 38,000 people to evacuate their homes in affected areas, including Uiseong and coastal areas.

The Korean government has mobilized all available resources to extinguish the major fires, Lim Sang-seop, head of the Korea Forest Service, told Yonhap. The forest fires were sparked by a prolonged drought fueled by dry winds.

Fires during this period are not uncommon in South Korea. Unfortunately their intensity has been increasing in recent years as the country's average temperatures and extreme weather patterns have increased. Many experts agree that the increase in forest fires can be seen as a sign of the ongoing impacts of climate change.

Forest fires have destroyed scores of farms and homes in affected areas this year. South Korean acting President Han Duck-soo said he would make every effort to help people access financial resources to rebuild their homes.

Source:Aljazeera