The death toll included a pilot who died after a helicopter crashed during efforts to contain wildfires in the southeastern town of Uiseong, one of the hardest-hit areas. The aircraft had no other crew members. The National Fire Agency said at least 26 other people sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Wildfires in South Korea destroyed nearly half of more than 30 structures at an ancient temple. The wind-driven blazes ravaging the country’s southern regions have killed 18 people, destroyed more than 200 structures and forced 27,000 people to evacuate, officials said Wednesday.

An ancient Buddhist temple, houses, factories and vehicles were destroyed in the wildfires that have burned 43,330 acres (17,535 hectares), the government’s emergency response center said.

In a televised address, South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo said the wildfires that began last Friday were the worst so far.

“Damages are snowballing,” Han said. “There are concerns that we’ll have wildfire damages that we’ve never experienced, so we have to concentrate all our capabilities to put out the wildfires in the rest of this week.”

Han said crews were struggling to extinguish the wildfires because strong winds swept the areas overnight. Han said about 4,650 firefighters, soldiers and other personnel were working Wednesday with the help of about 130 helicopters. He said that “a small amount” of 5-10 millimeters (0.1-0.3 inches) of rain was expected Thursday.

As of Wednesday evening, firefighters were fighting at least four active wildfires, including in the southeastern coastal town of Yeongdeok, which alerted residents of the nearest village to evacuate to an indoor gymnasium.

Strong winds and smoke-filled skies forced authorities in the southeastern city of Andong to order evacuations in two villages, including Puncheon, which is home to the Hahoe folk village — a UNESCO World Heritage Site founded around the 14th-15th century. Hikers were advised to leave the scenic Jirisan Mountain, one of the country’s largest national parks, as another fire spread closer.

Observers say the ongoing wildfires are the third biggest in South Korea in terms of land burned. The largest fires were in Andong, the neighboring counties of Uiseong and Sancheong, and the city of Ulsan.

On Tuesday, officials said firefighters had extinguished most of the flames from the largest wildfires in those areas, but wind and dry conditions allowed them to spread again.

The blaze in Uiseong destroyed nearly half of more than 30 structures at Gounsa, a temple which was said to be originally built in the 7th century. Among the burned structures were two state-designated “treasures” — a pavilion-shaped building erected on a stream in 1668, and a Joseon Dynasty structure built in 1904 to mark the longevity of a king.