The media called a grave ceremony a possible cause of forest fires in South Korea

The strongest forest fires in South Korea could start because of a ceremony at a family grave. This was reported by the Reuters news agency on March 30.

"Authorities assume that a man, who is about 50 years old, started a fire in southeastern Yiseong County when he performed an ancestral memorial ceremony at a family burial site on March 22," the publication said, citing a Gyeongbuk provincial police official.

Law enforcement officers are currently in the process of collecting evidence. The detained man denies his guilt, Reuters clarified.

A song of flames: terrible fires rage in Southern California

More than 2,000 buildings destroyed, at least five people killed

Yonhap news agency reported on March 27 that forest fires in the southeastern province of North Gyeongsang had killed 26 people and injured 30 others. Among the buildings, 325 objects were damaged, of which 117 were residential buildings. In this regard, 24 thousand residents were initially evacuated.

Yonhap reported on March 26 that dozens of firefighting helicopters, about 5,000 personnel and about 560 pieces of equipment have been mobilized to extinguish forest fires in South Korea.