What a strong wind, pines and dry earth fed the fire

Strong winds, dense forests and unusually dry climate: that is the deadly combination that, according to experts, is feeding the largest forest fires in the history of South Korea.

Hell in southeast has burned 35,810 hectares (88,500 acres) starting Thursday, that is approximately half the size of New York City, killing 27 people so far and moving tens of thousands.

The authorities believe that forest fires began by accident from human activity, but the main drivers of devastation are dry land, and the strong bursts that extend over the interior regions.

The high concentration of pine forest in the province of Northern Gyeongsang, where the fires are being burned, is also “greasing” the fire, said a forest disaster expert.

“The pines contain resin, which acts as the oil, intensifying fires when it turns on. This resin causes forest fires to burn faster, stronger and longer,” said Lee Byung-Doo of the National Institute of Forest Sciences in Seoul.

Andong, one of the worst cities, is known for its quiet pine forests.

While they provide refuge and local wildlife food and sometimes they help break the wind, the pines “become problematic during forest fires,” Lee told the BBC.

“Because forests (in South Korea) contain a large number of pines, the areas are particularly vulnerable when the fires explode,” he said.

In addition, the pines retain their needles throughout the winter, making them susceptible to “crown fires”, forest fires that propagate when the dense canopy of branches and leaves. This has contributed to the rapid and extensive spread of the flames during the past week.

Unlike neighboring countries such as China and North Korea, South Korea has achieved profits in forest coverage in recent years.

“Most of the mountains are now full of fallen leaves and pines … This accumulation has become a significant factor to accelerate the propagation of forest fires,” says Baek Min-Ho, a disaster prevention specialist at the Kangwon National University.

Climate change is also to blame, experts say.

“This forest fire has once again exposed the harsh reality of a climatic crisis unlike everything we have experienced before,” said South Korea’s disaster chief on Thursday, Lee Han-Kyung.

The ideal environment for these record fires has been built in recent weeks, which saw that temperatures increased greater than 20 ° C (68f), unusually high for spring. The analysis of Central Climate, which investigates the science of climate, suggests that these high temperatures have been fleeing up to five times more likely due to global warming.

The unusual heat dried the earth and air, allowing fires to spread more quickly, especially when combined with strong winds.

The dense coverage of trees and strong winds in the region affected by fire also pose substantial challenges for fire -fighting efforts.

On Wednesday, a 73 -year -old pilot died when his fire fighting helicopter crashed into Uiseong County. At least three other firefighters have been killed in the flames.

The majority of the 26 people who died are between 60 and 70, the authorities say. South Korea is an aging society, where one in five people is at least 65.

North Gyeongsang is its second oldest province, which also explains the number of relatively high deaths: it is especially difficult to evacuate older people in a disaster because they can have mobility problems or other health risks.

They may also have more difficulty accessing or interpreting evacuation orders.

Three residents of an elderly care center in Yeongdek County died on Wednesday, when the car in which they were caught fire. Only one in four in the vehicle managed to flee in time, Korea Joongang’s diary reported.

The interim president Han Duck-Soo said Thursday that he was “worrying” that many of the victims are old, since he ordered the Interior Minister to move to North Gyeongsang to supervise the help efforts.

An Andong resident who evacuated but lost his house told the BBC that his family and neighbors were taken off the fires.

“No one in the town was prepared,” said the woman, who asked not to be named.

“We had to leave with nothing, and all our belongings have left. Many of the residents are elderly, so I hope the government can provide temporary shelters where people can stay comfortably,” he said.

Historical relics have also been burned, a significant loss for an area considered one of the cultural centers of South Korea.

These include treasures in two temples, each of more than 1,000 years. One of them, the Gounsa temple, dates back to the chair dynasty (57 BC to 935AD).

Additional reports from Rachel Lee and Jake Kwon in Seoul