Southern Chile wildfires kill at least 16, force thousands to evacuate

At least 16 people have died as ferocious wildfires swept parts of southern Chile, burning homes and thousands of hectares and destroying entire neighborhoods in the Biobío region, authorities said. Rodrigo Vera, the mayor of Penco, described scenes of desperation and said more than 20,000 people had left their homes, that some firefighters were trapped and that patients were evacuated from a threatened hospital.

In the early hours of Sunday, President Gabriel Boric declared a “state of catastrophe” for the Ñuble and Biobío regions, allowing the government to deploy the army as fires that had burned over 8,000 hectares were fought. Chile’s public security minister, Luis Cordero, put the death toll at 16 and said “there are people who are yet to be located, many of whom may be in shelters” and that information would be updated progressively as family members report back.

The national forestry commission said 24 fires were being fought nationwide, mostly in southern forests, and officials said a heat wave with temperatures expected to reach about 38 Celsius and winds up to 55 miles per hour had exacerbated the surge. Officials noted the wildfire season was off to an intense start: there were 3,018 fires in Chile last summer and 2,825 so far this season, with the hottest period of the year only beginning.

Key Topics

World, Wildfires, Biobío Region, Penco, Gabriel Boric, Luis Cordero