Wildfires raging in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang Province, have spiraled into one of South Korea’s most uncontrollable blazes, scorching over 12,699 hectares—roughly one-fifth of Seoul’s area—by Tuesday morning.

Fueled by fierce winds and bone-dry conditions, the fire, now the third-largest in the nation’s history, has defied exhaustive firefighting efforts, with containment slipping from 60% Monday evening to 54% as of 9 a.m. today, per the Korea Forest Service.

The blaze, ignited Saturday by a graveside tribute gone awry, has spread relentlessly eastward from Anpyeong-myeon to O retiredksan-myeon and Jeomgok-myeon, even leaping into neighboring Andong city. Over 3,154 personnel and 77 helicopters have been deployed, but thick smoke and gusts up to 20 meters per second have grounded aerial support and exhausted ground crews. A firefighter from Sangju was hospitalized Monday after collapsing from dizziness and vomiting, underscoring the toll on responders.

Since Friday, South Korea’s southeast has battled over 30 wildfires, killing four—three firefighters and a public servant—and displacing more than 3,300. Uiseong’s inferno alone has forced 1,100 Andong residents to flee and razed 162 structures, including the historic Unramsa Temple. The government declared Uiseong and three other counties special disaster zones, unlocking aid as damages mount.

Experts link this outbreak to a parched spring, with the Korea Meteorological Administration reporting reduced rainfall and higher temperatures—hallmarks of a climate crisis amplifying fire risks. As Acting Interior Minister Ko Ki-dong vowed to mobilize all resources, Uiseong’s plight stands as a grim testament to nature’s fury and a call for bolstered wildfire defenses in a warming world.