South Korea grounded firefighting helicopters following a fatal crash on Wednesday as authorities struggle to contain “unprecedented” wildfires that have ravaged the country’s southeast, killing at least 19 people and destroying a centuries-old Buddhist temple.

Wildfires have been ravaging South Korea leaving at least 18 dead, 19 injured and thousands evacuated. The "unprecedented" crisis remains critical, according to acting president Han Duck-soo, who said the fires are "rewriting the record books for the worst wildfires in our nation's history".

Uprecedented wildfires ripping through South Korea’s southern regions have destroyed large parts of an ancient Buddhist temple, ruining two of its three state-designated “treasures.”