Anchor: Amid the raging wildfires in the country's southeast, the death toll was raised to 27 as of Thursday afternoon to include a forest fire inspector, who was found dead in Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province earlier in the day. Authorities forecast that the fire, rapidly spreading for the past week, will be recorded as the nation's worst wildfire in history.
Choi You Sun reports.

Report: As of 4 p.m. Thursday, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters put the death toll from the ongoing wildfires in the country's southeastern region at 27.

The tally includes the death of a forest fire inspector in their 60s, who was found at around 11:50 a.m. Thursday in Yeongdeok County, North Gyeongsang Province.

Thirty-two residents in the affected areas have reportedly suffered injuries from the fires, while more than 37-thousand people were forced to evacuate from their homes, with around 16-thousand yet to return.

Authorities estimate 325 homes, temples, factory buildings and cultural assets were burned down in the fires.

The Uiseong fire, which has spread to affect five cities and counties in North Gyeongsang since breaking out Saturday, is speculated to become the worst wildfire in the nation's history spreading at a record high speed of eight-point-two kilometers per hour. 

That’s faster than the average running speed of a male adult.

As of Wednesday morning, the area of affected zone in the province's northern region was 33-thousand-204 hectares, far exceeding the previous record of 23-thousand-794 hectares of damage set by the Gangwon eastern coast wildfires in 2000.

The Uiseong area started to see some rain late Thursday, but weather forecasts do not see enough to douse the flames.

According to the Korea Heritage Service, as of 5 p.m. Thursday, 23 cultural assets were damaged from the fires, up eight from the previous day.

Acting President Han Duck-soo, meanwhile, declared Andong, Cheongsong County, Yeongyang County, and Yeongdeok County in North Gyeongsang Province as special disaster zones subject to state-led recovery and victims' support.
Choi You Sun, KBS World Radio News.