Wind-driven wildfires that were among South Korea's worst ever were ravaging¹ the country's southern regions, killing² 18 people, destroying more than 200 structures and forcing 27,000 people to evacuate³, officials said Wednesday.



A 1,300-year-old Buddhist⁴ temple, houses, factories and vehicles were among the structures destroyed in the wildfires that have burned 43,330 acres and injured 19 people, the government's emergency response center said.



Crews were struggling to extinguish the wildfires because strong winds swept the areas overnight. About 4,650 firefighters, soldiers and other personnel were working Wednesday to extinguish the wildfires with the help of about 130 helicopters. "A small amount" of 5-10 millimeters of rain was expected Thursday.