By Minwoo Park and Ju-min Park UISEONG COUNTY, South Korea (Reuters) -At least 18 people have died as multiple wildfires rage across South Korea's southeastern region, with thousands of firefighters aided by the military deployed in a bid to contain one of the country's worst forest fires in decades.

At least 18 people are dead after six days of fires fueled by dry weather conditions. Among the scorched buildings: two 1,000-year-old Buddhist temples.

Officials in the South Korean city of Andong have alerted residents to evacuate to safe areas as firefighters struggled to contain wildfires that ravaged the country’s southern regions since last week,