South Korea redeployed firefighting helicopters after a fatal crash caused a temporary grounding on Wednesday as authorities struggle to contain wildfires that have ravaged the country’s southeast, killing at least 24 people and destroying a centuries-old Buddhist temple.

The fires have burned over 81,500 acres of land. At least 26 people are dead and two temples, both hundreds of years old, have been destroyed

Light rain offered some relief to South Korean authorities tackling the country's worst wildfires on record, with exhausted firefighters making another push on Friday to contain blazes stretching 70 km (44 miles).