South Korean authorities have contained the main blazes in the country's largest forest fire on record, a minister said on Friday, as rain and better weather allowed more helicopters to fly and dump water,

Rain and cooler temperatures are helping South Korean fire crews as they battle the country’s worst-ever wildfires on Friday, as the governor of the hardest-hit region called for overhauling response strategies to respond to the climate crisis that he says worsened the disaster.

Wildfires in South Korea fueled by high winds and dry weather have killed at least two dozen people and forced almost 30,000 to evacuate.

Charred, black ruins at South Korea's Gounsa temple stood in stark contrast to the kaleidoscope of colours that are a trademark of the country's historic palaces and Buddhist temples.

A forest fire in South Korea's Yeongdeok county, one of a number of wildfires that have engulfed the country's southeastern region, has been contained, the national forest service said on Friday.

Wildfires raging in South Korea doubled in size on Thursday from a day earlier, as authorities called the blazes the country's worst natural fire disaster with at least 28 people killed and historic temples incinerated.

South Korea redeployed firefighting helicopters after a fatal crash caused a temporary grounding on Wednesday as authorities struggle to contain “unprecedented” deadly wildfires that have ravaged the country’s southeast,

Authorities believe the wildfires started by accident from human activity, but the main drivers of the devastation are dry land, and strong gusts sweeping over inland regions. The high concentration of pine forest in North Gyeongsang province,

At least 26 people are dead, including the pilot of a helicopter that crashed trying to contain blazes that strong winds and dry conditions were helping to spread rapidly.