Wildfires in Chile have killed an estimated seven people as blazes rage across vast swaths of forest and farmland, incinerating homes. As of Friday, authorities were fighting to put out the numerous wildfires that have erupted around the country, consuming more than 14,000 hectares (34,595 acres). The flames have been compounded by the country’s nearly 13-year-long drought, as well as a heat wave. Many of the flames are concentrated in the Biobo region, which is located around 560 kilometers (348 miles) south of Santiago. Four of the reported deaths occurred there, and many of the deaths involved autos.
“In one case, they were burned because they were attacked by fire,” said Carolina Toha, the interior minister. In the other case, they were injured while “presumably trying to escape the fire,” she noted. According to the Associated Press, a firefighter was injured by a truck while battling the flames. The administration has proclaimed a state of disaster in Biobio and the neighboring province of Nuble, which has also been severely impacted by the fires. Toha said the region of La Araucania was also battling to put out the fires, which were fueled by strong winds and high temperatures brought on by Chile’s sweltering heat wave. Weather projections for Chillan, Nuble’s capital, anticipated temperatures of more over 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday. Hundreds of homes are said to have been damaged or destroyed, but the actual number is unknown. Chile’s President Gabriel Boric cut short his holiday to visit the affected areas, declaring that the “whole force of the state will be used” to contain the fires and assist victims.
Wildfires have expanded in breadth, intensity, and frequency, in part due to climate change, as rising temperatures and drought exacerbate fire conditions around the world, resulting in catastrophic blazes in Chile, Algeria, France, Spain, and the western United States. A forest fire in the seaside tourist town of Vinas Del Mar in Chile killed at least one person and burned more than 100 residences in late December. “Families are struggling,” Ivonne Rivas, mayor of Tome in the Biobo region, told a local radio station. “What they’re going through is awful; the fire got away from us.”
