Fire destroys old temple in South Korea

A fire destroyed the main building of one of South Korea’s oldest temples today in the southwestern province of North Jeolla, but there were no casualties, media reports said. The report said the fire at Naejangsa Temple, known for its autumn foliage, started at around 2 am and destroyed the temple’s main building, Daewungjeon, and part of the forest behind it. Other temple buildings were not affected, it said. About 10 monks were residing in the temple compound but there were no casualties as the monks slept in a separate building.

Firefighters were quoted as saying CCTV footage shows the fire began near an electric heater in the Daewungjeon building.