Wildfires in South Korea are now "the largest on record" having burned more forest than any previous blaze, the country's disaster chief said Thursday, as the death toll rose to 26. (Photo/Agencies)

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. (Photo/Agencies)

The extent of damage makes it South Korea's largest ever wildfire, after the inferno in April 2000 that scorched 23,913 hectares across the east coast. (Photo/Agencies)

Authorities said changing wind patterns and dry weather had revealed the limitations of conventional firefighting methods. (Photo/Agencies)

Most of those killed were local residents, but at least three firefighters were killed, and a pilot in a firefighting helicopter died when his aircraft crashed in a mountain area, officials said. (Photo/Agencies)

Last year was South Korea's hottest year on record, with the Korea Meteorological Administration saying that the average annual temperature was 14.5 degrees Celsius -- two degrees higher than the preceding 30-year average of 12.5 degrees. (Photo/Agencies)

The fire-hit region had been experiencing unusually dry weather with below-average precipitation, authorities said, with the South experiencing more than double the number of fires this year than last. (Photo/Agencies)

Multiple historic sites, including two listed with Unesco, were threatened by the fires, with South Korean heritage officials working with firefighters. (Photo/Agencies)