How strong winds, pine trees and dry soils burned the flame

Strong winds, dense forest and unusual dry air – a fatal compound that experts burn the biggest wildflakes in the history of South Korea.

Inferno in the Southeast, 35,810 hectares (88,500 acres) burned on Thursday – so far to kill 27 people and relieve tens of thousands of people.

Authorities believe in the wildfire, which began with the human activity, but the main drivers of the wreckage are strong ashes that slip in dry lands and inland areas.

The high concentration of the pine forest in the province of North Gyeongsang, where the fires were burned, the fire was “greasing” and a forest disaster specialist.

“When the firewood, which moves oils like oil in pine trees, causes wilderness faster, stronger and longer burning,” said Seoul National Institute of Forest Sciences

Andong, one of the worst hit cities, is known for the forests of Pacific Pine.

When providing shelter and meals for local wildlife and sometimes, it helps to divert the wind, “he becomes problematic during wildfires.”

“Because forests (in South Korea) contain a large number of pinewoods, and when fires are especially sensitive,” he said.

In addition, the pine trees hold the needles throughout the winter, make them sensitive to “crown fires” – the wildfires spread by ignition the tight covers of branches and leaves. This contributed to the rapid and broad spread of the flames in the last week.

Unlike neighboring countries such as China and North Korea, South Korea has earned a profit in forest in the forest in recent years.

“Most of the mountains are full of fallen leaves and pine trees … This collection has become an important factor to accelerate the spread of wildlife,” said Kangwon’s disasters Prevention specialist Baek Min-Ho.

Climate change is also to blame, experts say.

“This wild flame has once again exposed the harsh reality of the climatic crisis, unlike everything we live,” South Korea’s disaster chief Lee Han-Kyung said on Thursday.

The ideal environment for these notes seeing the temperature 20C (68F) over the past few weeks, which is an extraordinary high speed for spring. An analysis by the climatic center investigating climate science offers this high temperature to be five times more with global warming.

Unusual heat dried soil and air, allows fires to spread faster, especially when combined with strong winds.

The firefighter tree cover and strong winds in the region also create major problems for firefighting efforts.

On Wednesday, a 73-year-old pilot firefighter helicopter crashed in Uiseong County. At least three firefighters were killed in the blases.

The deaths of 26 people are in 60 and 70s. South Korea is the age of age, which is at least 65 years old.

North Gyeongsang is his second-year-old province, it also explains the number of relatively high deaths – it can be the problem of their mobility or other health risks because it is difficult to clean the old people in a disaster.

May have more difficulty in obtaining or commenting on evacuation orders.

Yeongdeok district, three residents of an elderly care institution died on Wednesday, when they went in the car in the fire. The fourth group reports that only one of four people in the vehicle was able to escape.

President Han Duck-Soo said they were elderly, because of many victims, because the Interior Minister said he ordered to control the relief efforts to North Gyeongsang.

Andong resident who evacuated, but losing his house, he said that his family and neighbors were protected by fires.

“No one in the village was prepared,” the woman who asked not to be called.

“We had to leave with nothing and all our belongings. Most of the residents are older. I hope the government can give people a temporary shelter where people can stay comfortable,” he said.

Historical relatives were burnt on the ground – an important loss in an area considered one of the cultural centers of South Korea.

These include two temples, each of which is more than 1000 years old. One of them belongs to the Temple of Gunsa, the SILLA dynasty (up to 57BC 935AD).

Additional report by Rachel Lee and Jake Kwon in Seoul