The wildfires that originated in Uiseong have been moving rapidly eastward, spreading almost to the coast, carried by gusty winds and with dry conditions aggravating the situation.
While the meteorological agency has forecast some rain for the southwest, precipitation is expected to be under five millimetres for most of the affected areas.
“The amount of rain is going to be small so it doesn’t look like it’ll be a big help in trying to extinguish the fire,” Korea Forest Service Minister Lim Sang-seop said at a briefing.
Experts have said the Uiseong fire showed extremely unusual spread in terms of its scale and speed, and that climate change is expected to make wildfires more frequent and deadly globally.
Higher temperatures amplified by human-caused climate change contributed to the existing seasonally dry conditions, “turning dry landscapes into dangerous fire fuel” in the region, the Climate Central group, an independent body made up of scientists and researchers, said in a report.
