South Korea redeployed firefighting helicopters after a fatal crash caused a temporary grounding on Wednesday as authorities struggle to contain “unprecedented” deadly wildfires that have ravaged the country’s southeast,

At least 26 people are dead, including the pilot of a helicopter that crashed trying to contain blazes that strong winds and dry conditions were helping to spread rapidly.

One monk said his old temple was ‘reduced to heaps of ashes,’ as the fires continue to rage across the country