- Title: Helicopters waterbomb deadly South Korea wildfires
- Date: 27th March 2025
- Summary: UISEONG, SOUTH KOREA (MARCH 27, 2025) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WATCHING FIREFIGHTING HELICOPTER DROP WATER ON MOUNTAIN WILDFIRE WILDFIRE ON MOUNTAIN VARIOUS OF HELICOPTER APPROACHING AND DROPPING WATER ON WILDFIRE VARIOUS OF SMOKE AND FIRE ON MOUNTAIN VARIOUS OF HELICOPTER PICKING UP WATER FROM LAKE AND DISPATCHING VARIOUS OF HELICOPTER APPROACHING MOUNTAIN AND DROPPING
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Uiseong climate change fires helicopters mountain natural disaster south korea wildfire
- Location: UISEONG, SOUTH KOREA
- City: UISEONG, SOUTH KOREA
- Country: South Korea
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Disaster/Accidents,Wildfires/Forest Fires
- Reuters ID: LVA001201827032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Firefighting helicopters battled against South Korea’s record-breaking wildfires on Thursday (March 27) as the fires doubled in size from a day earlier, with authorities calling the blazes the country’s worst natural fire disaster, killing at least 27 people and incinerating historic temples.
More than 33,000 hectares (81,500 acres) have been charred or were still burning in the largest of the fires that began in the central Uiseong county, making it the biggest single forest fire in South Korea's history. The previous record was 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) in a March 2000 fire.
The military has released stocks of aviation fuel to help keep firefighting helicopters flying to douse flames across mountainous regions in the southeast of the country where fires have been burning now for nearly a week.
More than 120 helicopters have been deployed in three regions battling the blazes, the safety ministry said. South Korea relies on helicopters to fight forest fires because of its mountainous terrain. A helicopter pilot died on Wednesday (March 26) after crashing while trying to tackle a blaze.
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