South Korea wildfires 'largest on record': disaster chief

More than a dozen fires broke out over the weekend, scorching wide swathes of the southeast, forcing around 27,000 people to urgently evacuate, with the fire cutting off roads and downing communications lines as residents fled in panic. "The wildfire is spreading rapidly," said Lee Han-kyung, disaster and safety division chief. "26 people have died, eight are seriously injured and 22 have been lightly injured," he said. "The forest damage has reached 35,810 hectares, already exceeding the area affected by the 2000 east coast wildfire...