Wildfires raging in South Korea doubled in size on Thursday from a day earlier, as authorities called the blazes the country's worst natural fire disaster with at least 28 people killed and historic temples incinerated.

Officials say the most destructive wildfires ever to hit South Korea are almost contained. The government's announcement Friday comes after rain and cooler temperatures helped fire crew put out the blazes that have killed 28 people and razed vast swaths of land since last week.

A combination of an aging society and a reliance on temporary workers meant older people were disproportionately on the frontlines tackling South Korea's devastating wildfires this week - and paid a disproportionate price.

Deadly wildfires raging in South Korea left residents distraught as they assessed the damage to their homes, many having lost everything. South Korean authorities called the blazes the country’s worst natural fire disaster with at least 26 people killed and historic temples incinerated.

The most destructive wildfires ever to hit South Korea were almost contained, authorities announced Friday, after rain and cooler temperatures helped fire crew put out the blazes that have killed 28 people and razed vast swaths of land since last week.

A forest fire in South Korea's Yeongdeok county, one of a number of wildfires that have engulfed the country's southeastern region, has been contained, the national forest service said on Friday.

ANDONG, South Korea (Reuters) -South Korean authorities have contained the main blazes in the country's largest forest fire on record, a minister said on Friday, as rain and better weather allowed more helicopters to fly and dump water,

The death toll from the worst wildfires in South Korea’s history rose to at least 30, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters said, as the government stepped up relief efforts and emergency services battled to extinguish the remaining blazes,

Rain and cooler temperatures are helping South Korean fire crews as they battle the country’s worst-ever wildfires on Friday, as the governor of the hardest-hit region called for overhauling response strategies to respond to the climate crisis that he says worsened the disaster.