Wildfires in South Korea have killed 28 people so far and destroyed large parts of Gounsa, a major Buddhist temple complex founded in 681 CE.
Approximately 20 out of its 30 structures were completely burned down, according to the Associated Press. The destroyed buildings included two that were designated national treasures: Gaunru, the pavilion-shaped structure constructed in 1668, and Yeonsujeon, built in 1904.
“I went there this morning and found they’ve been reduced to heaps of ashes,” Doryun, a senior monk who had lived at the temple for more than three years when he was younger, told the Associated Press. “I feel really empty. Life is transient.”
“The buildings and remains of what Buddhist monks have left over 1,300 years are now all gone,” Deungwoon, the head of the Gounsa Temple, told Reuters.
The temple was located at the bottom of Deungun Mountain, in the town of Uiseong. It was completely on fire on March 25, with strong winds worsening conditions.
Officials from the Korea Heritage Service did relocate some of Gounsan temple’s most treasured relics, including a stone Buddha statue designated a treasure by the state, to other areas in North Gyeongsang on March 24, the Korea Joongang Daily reported.
However, a giant gilded Buddha statue was too large to be moved, and was carefully covered with cotton cloths and fire retardant blankets, according to the AFP.
At the Hahoe Folk Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site, representatives from the Korea Heritage Service deployed retardant and other preventative measures in an attempt to save the historic structure’s thatched roof.
The Gyeongsangbuk-do wildfire began in central Uiseong county on the morning of March 22. The wildfire has rapidly spread across Uiseong, coming dangerously close to to Andong, where the Hahoe Folk Village is located. Residents were advised to evacuate to shelters on March 27.
The Associated Press reported that 38,665 hectares (95,543 acres) have been burned or were still on fire in the past five days.
In addition to the 28 casualties, the wildfires have destroyed more than 300 structures and forced the evacuations of at least 37,800 people. The damage is already the worst single forest fire in the country’s history, well surpassing the previous record of 24,000 hectares (59,000 acres) from a fire in March 2000.
By comparison, the Palisades and Eaton fires in Los Angeles earlier this year burned an estimated 40,000 acres.
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