As South Korea gets shaken up from the biggest wildfire in history, it is unclear what began the flames, but experts say the “severe reality” of conditions that led to rapid spreading is becoming more difficult to ignore.
A week later, it continues to contain the fire that killed at least 28 people and destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of land and ancient Buddhist temples.
Wildfires have burned about 48,000 hectares (118,000 acres) across the mountains and towns in the country’s southeastern part of the largest wildfire event in South Korea’s recorded history.
The fire began in Uiseong County and was driven by dry conditions and gusts of winds rapidly spread to Andong, Yeongdeok and Sancheong. As of Friday, the fire had included 85% thanks to light rain and low temperatures on Thursday evening.
Foreman Han Dak Sue called it a “national critical situation” earlier this week, urging emergency teams to assume the worst and act accordingly.
Authorities deployed more than 9,000 people, 125 helicopters and hundreds of vehicles to tackle the flames. However, the scale of the destruction, including thousands of destroyed homes and structures, dozens of injuries, and the 30,000 or more people forced to be evacuated, has caused urgent questions about whether South Korea, or other countries, is being prepared for a fire of this magnitude.
The first report accused human activity of sparking a fire, but police have yet to find the suspect. But what happened afterwards was a familiar pattern of a climate crisis, changing land use patterns, and a combination of seasonal vulnerabilities that promote fires and escalate risks.
“Climate change is the key driver behind these fires,” said Dr. Douglas Kelly, surface modeler at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. “Rising temperatures and more severe, unpredictable droughts create the best conditions for wildfires to spread. South Korea may face winter droughts more frequently in the future.”
Recent research by Korean scientists shows that wildfires are already more common and are beginning at the beginning of the year. Between 1991 and 2020, Korea averaged multiple wildfires every day
“As we see now, wildfire season has been extended and shifted until March,” said Professor Iran Kelman of the University of London. “A key factor in the worsening wildfires is land use changes, including planting plants and human-focused climate change.”
These landscape changes, such as town expansion, road construction, and planting new forests, can unintentionally exacerbate the fire by introducing more flammable vegetation or breaking down natural barriers that once slowed the flames.
South Korea has been committed to planting trees over the past decades, and while its efforts may have been successful in restoring forests after the Korean War, certain areas dominated by immature forests may be more prone to fire than others.
“Mature trees are resilient due to wildfires,” explained Dr. Thomas Smith, an associate professor of environmental geography at the London School of Economics. “However, immature forest areas create connectivity between the ground and the canopy, allowing the fire to move up and spread quickly.”
Smith said the size of the fire was “surprising” and two parallel fire fronts spanning 90km from inland on the east coast, stretching towards the coast.
The timing of the fire also made its seriousness worse. Many of the vegetation in the area remains dormant in early spring. This means that plants cannot regulate their moisture levels and are unable to dry quickly in warm, windy conditions.
“This is a particularly dangerous time,” Smith said. “The fuel in the shrub is extremely vulnerable before the spring ‘green up’. The weather is unusually warm, with an average of up to 10c or higher. ”
The vulnerability of cultural heritage was also a concern. Among the losses was the Gounsa Temple, a 1,300-year-old wooden Buddhist site in Uiseong. Such traditional structures are particularly at risk from the embers of windbones, which can set fire to flammable wooden buildings even in the distance, according to Dr Zachary Campbell Rochley, a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh.
“Under certain conditions, fires can spread rapidly between structures, each one being the source of a generation of fire brands,” he said.
For many, the trauma is still unfolding. In Andong, 79-year-old Seo Jae Tak was broken in a temporary shelter after seeing the mountains behind the house turn to ashes. “It’s incredibly hard to even put into words. All I can do is cry,” he said.
Officials say the country now has to rethink its wildfire response system. North Kyungsan Governor Leechul-woo called for a complete overhaul of his current strategy, including improving nighttime fire tools and evacuation plans for seniors.
“We don’t have any fire service equipment at night,” he said. “It’s difficult to manage with just manual effort, as our forests become more denser.”
Experts agree that while strong winds and seasonal factors play a role, fingerprints from the climate crisis are clear.
“Just three months after 2025, we have already seen record wildfire activity in multiple regions,” says Dr. Kimberly Simpson, a fellow Sheffield University of Nature-Based Climate Solutions.
“The conditions that cause these catastrophic fires are becoming more frequent, and we have to be more prepared.”
