PERSONAL: 'There's nowhere to sleep' - South Korean evacuee returns home after wildfires

Record ID: 1986823

  • Title: PERSONAL: 'There's nowhere to sleep' - South Korean evacuee returns home after wildfires
  • Date: 30th March 2025
  • Summary: ANDONG, SOUTH KOREA (MARCH 29, 2025) (REUTERS) SOUTH KOREAN 73-YEAR-OLD FARMER, KWON EUNG-CHEOL, CLEANING UP HIS BURNT HOUSE VARIOUS OF KWON LOOKING AROUND HIS HOUSE BURNT AND BROKEN WINDOW AT KWON'S HOUSE KWON EXPLAINING ABOUT HIS HOUSE BROKEN CROCKS AND RUBBLES ON GROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN 73-YEAR-OLD FARMER, KWON EUNG-CHEOL, SAYING: "Well, first of all, I
  • Embargoed:
  • Keywords: Andong South Korea fire home resident return village wildfire
  • Location: ANDONG, SOUTH KOREA
  • City: ANDONG, SOUTH KOREA
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Disaster/Accidents,Wildfires/Forest Fires
  • Reuters ID: LVA001276530032025RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: South Korean farmer Kwon Eung-cheol returned to his home in Iljik-myeon, Andong, hoping to return to his daily life, but found his house reduced to ashes instead by the wildfires that swept through the region the past week, killing at least 30 people as of Sunday (March 30), according to authorities.
    "There's nowhere to sleep. That's the biggest issue. I couldn't even take my spoon and chopsticks,” Kwon told Reuters in front of his burnt house on Saturday (March 29).
    The fires, which began on previous Saturday (March 22), have displaced over 30,000 people, many of them the elderly in rural South Korea, destroyed hundreds of homes and charred more than 45,000 hectares of land in the southeast region, making them the country's largest forest fire on record.
    The Korean Forest Service said on Friday (March 28) that the main blazes had been contained, thanks to rain and better weather, allowing more water-bombing helicopters to reach and douse the flames.
    Kwon, 73, who grows green pepper, evacuated to his son's house nearby on Tuesday (March 25) when smoke was seen rising from the mountain.
    By Saturday, 16 houses in Iljik-myeon were completely destroyed, according to Kim Dong-ju, the head of the village of 40 households. It will take about two months to provide temporary houses to residents who lost their homes, he added.
    At the village community centre, Kim and regional office staff have started to gather damage reports from residents, as they grappled with the aftermath of the fires which had devastated the community.
    "I reported (to the government) that my whole house has collapsed and my farming tools and drying machine for pepper are all burnt," Kwon said.
    "I wish I can sleep at home as soon as possible and take a bath. This is happiness," Kwon added.
    (Production: Minwoo Park)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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