Recently, severe wildfires have erupted in central and southern Chile, with the raging fires consuming thousands of hectares of forests and hundreds of homes. The ongoing wildfires have already claimed at least 18 lives and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Authorities have declared a state of emergency in two southern regions.
According to the Chilean National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), as of Sunday morning, firefighters are battling 24 wildfires nationwide, with the largest blaze occurring in the Ñuble and Biobio regions, about 500 kilometers south of Santiago. The affected area has already reached 8,500 hectares, with nearly four thousand firefighters combating the inferno.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric has announced that the Ñuble and Biobio disaster areas are in a state of emergency, granting the government the power to deploy armed forces to assist in extinguishing the fires.
The Chilean National Office for Disaster Risk Management (Senapred) has reported that over 50,000 people have been urgently evacuated, and at least 300 homes have been destroyed. Authorities have noted that adverse conditions such as strong winds and high temperatures have fueled the spread of the wildfires, complicating firefighters’ efforts to control the blaze.
During a press conference in Concepcion, the capital of the Biobio region, President Boric expressed condolences to the victims and warned that as search and rescue operations continue, the number of casualties and damaged homes may increase further.
Most of Chile has been placed under extreme heat warnings, with temperatures expected to soar to 38 degrees Celsius from Santiago to Biobio on Sunday and Monday.