Debris and devastation ensue as wildfires ravage southeastern Korea — in pictures

A wildfire that broke out on Friday has since engulfed vast swathes of southeastern Korea, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

A wildfire that broke out on Friday has since engulfed vast swathes of southeastern Korea, leaving behind a trail of destruction.

At least 24 people are believed to have died in the ongoing fires, while 12 people have been seriously injured.

Residents across the region have been evacuated as authorities battle the deadly flames.

One of the fires has already consumed a 7th-century Buddhist temple and threatens Hahoe Folk Village, a Unesco World Heritage Site in North Gyeongsang.

People look upon the ruins of a house in Yeongyang County, North Gyeongsang, on March 26, a day after it was destroyed by the ongoing wildfires in southeastern Korea. [NEWS1]

Officials from the Ulsan Metropolitan Government set up a fireline to break the path of an ongoing wildfire in Ulju County, Ulsan, on March 26. [YONHAP]

A monk walks past the ruins of Gounsa, a Buddhist temple in Uiseong County, North Gyeongsang, on March 26. The temple was burned to the ground by the wildfires currently ravaging southeastern Korea.

A firefighter sprays water on a building in Hahoe Folk Village in Andong, North Gyeongsang, on March 26. The village, which is a Unesco-designated World Heritage Site, is located near one of the wildfires ravaging southeastern Korea. [YONHAP]

Exhausted firefighters take a nap in the shade of a fire truck in Sancheong County, South Gyeongsang, on March 26. [SANCHEONG COUNTY]

Residents of Yeongyang County, North Gyeongsang, who were evacuated from the path of an ongoing wildfire rest at the local government-run shelter on March 26. [YONHAP]

Employees of the Korean Red Cross in Seoul prepare emergency supplies for delivery to people forced to evacuate from their homes due to the country's ongoing wildfires on March 26. [NEWS1]

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]