Adventists Among the Affected by Record South Korea Wildfires

Since March 21, massive wildfires in South Korea across Yeongnam, including Uiseong in North Gyeongsang Province and Sancheong in South Gyeongsang Province, have destroyed numerous homes and forced many residents—including Seventh-day Adventist church members—to seek refuge in emergency shelters, regional church leaders reported.

“Several families connected directly or indirectly to our church have suffered severe damage, including destruction of homes, property loss, and forced evacuation,” leaders reported. “As the wildfires remain active, the scale of the damage is expected to grow.”

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures headquarters, as of 6:00 a.m. on March 27 the wildfires have resulted in 26 deaths, eight seriously injured, and 22 with minor injuries across the Gyeongsang region.

Adventist families were among those affected. A lay leader from the Middlewest Korean Conference, who maintained a second home in Sancheong for rural living, lost the house to the fire. Two homes belonging to Adventist Church sympathizers residing in the area were also destroyed. Although not a regular attendee, the child of a church member also lost their home and storage facilities. A new believer preparing for baptism suffered partial damage to their home. The main living area remained intact, while the front and back sections were destroyed, leaders reported.

“About 20 members of Yujeom church evacuated to a nearby shelter. The church building and members’ homes have not been significantly damaged. However, one cold storage unit, a cultivator, and some fruit trees were lost in the fire,” they shared.

Three Adventist believers living in the Okjong area are staying with other residents at an evacuation center. Two of them have been advised to relocate again and are preparing for further evacuation.

The total area of forest affected has reached 36,090 hectares (89,180 acres), surpassing the damage caused by the country’s worst wildfire in 2000, which covered 23,794 hectares (58,796 acres). The wildfires that began in Sancheong have not been fully contained despite the ongoing firefighting efforts for more than a week. This wildfire is expected to become the largest in South Korea’s history.

In response, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Korea has partnered with its Yeongnam branch to assess the situation quickly and is providing emergency relief supplies to those who have lost their homes. “This emergency relief effort aims to promptly deliver food, medicine, and daily necessities to affected areas,” agency leaders in the country said. “ADRA Korea calls on churches and members nationwide to actively support the project through prayers and participation.”

The original version of this story was posted on the Northern Asia-Pacific Division news site.