Chile wildfires have destroyed thousands of hectares of forests and farmland. Source: Ministerio de Agricultura.
Chile wildfires have consumed 270,000 hectares across the country’s Pacific coast, killing at least 24 people and injuring close to 1,000 others by Sunday local time. Almost 1,500 others have left their homes, seeking refuge in shelters.
The wildfires are considered the country’s worst natural disaster in years.
Emergency orders cover areas in the middle of Chile’s Pacific coastline, initially covering the Biobio and Nuble regions before being expanded to Araucania over the weekend.
These regions are sparsely populated, but are home to large areas of forest and many farms where crops are grown for export.
The heat wave has made combatting the fires difficult for authorities, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in some areas.
“Weather conditions have made it very difficult to put out (the fires) that are spreading and the emergency is getting worse,” said Interior Minister Carolina Toha at a news conference in Santiago, Chile’s capital city.
“We need to reverse that curve,” she said, noting that 76 fires had ignited on Friday.
Officials also confirmed that 16 more wildfires began on Saturday.
Aid to combat Chile’s wildfires has been promised by many international governments, including the United States, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, and Venezuela. The aid includes planes, helicopters and expert firefighting teams.
Almost half of the causalities from Chile’s wildfires died in the town of Santa Juana in Biobio, located 500km south of Santiago.
On Saturday, Chile’s national forestry agency, CONAF, reported that there was a total of 231 active wildfires. 151 wildfires were deemed to be under control, but another 80 were being actively battled.
Interior ministry officials have since reported that there are a total of 260 active fires, with 28 considered particularly dangerous.
Chile’s President Gabriel Boric was on holiday when the wildfires began, quickly cutting his vacation short to travel to Nuble and Biobio and pledge that the affected areas receive the support they need.
President Boric also noted that there were signs that some of the fires may have been intentionally started, but did not provide further details.
