At least 18 people have died and thousands have been evacuated as wildfires rage across Chile, with Chilean President Gabriel Boric declaring a state of disaster in two southern regions of the country on Sunday.
Fires that have ravaged central and southern Chile, ravaged thousands of acres of forest and destroyed hundreds of homes, continued to advance amid a heat wave gripping the South American nation.
More than 30,000 people have already been evacuated in the Ñuble and Biobío regions, Alicia Cebrián, head of Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service, known as Senapred, told television station TVN.
The official noted that 19 separate fires have been reported in the country so far.
It is difficult to estimate exactly how many hectares of land have been destroyed, as authorities are focusing on suppressing the fire’s progress and protecting people, according to Cebrián.
Videos of the forest fires surfaced on social media as people were forced from their homes.
The president declares a disaster
Chilean President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of disaster in central Chile’s Biobio region and neighboring Ñuble region, which is 500 kilometers from the country’s capital, Santiago.
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The disaster designation will allow authorities to better coordinate with the military in controlling more than two dozen active wildfires.
According to the National Forestry Agency, the fire has engulfed 8,500 hectares of land.
Speaking at a press conference from the hard-hit city of Concepción in the Biobio region, Boric expressed his support and condolences to the victims of the wildfires in Chile. He further warned that the government’s initial reports of 18 killed and 300 homes destroyed were expected to rise as it focused on the extent of the losses.
The Chilean president said the total number of houses damaged in Biobio alone was “definitely more than a thousand so far”.
Fires ravaging hillsides have driven 50,000 people from their homes, according to a Reuters report.
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“The first priority, as you know, in these emergency situations is always to fight and extinguish the fire. But we cannot forget at any moment that there are human tragedies here, families that are suffering,” Boric said, calling the situation “difficult times.”
“These are difficult times for the country, especially for areas like Penco and Tomé, so I want to express my condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this tragedy. Today we have a confirmed death toll of 18, but unfortunately we are sure that number will rise,” Boric said in a post on X after the press conference.
The destruction continued for hours
The Chilean president’s speech comes after complaints from local authorities that for hours there was destruction everywhere and help nowhere.
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“Dear President Boric, from the bottom of my heart I have been here for four hours, the community is on fire and there is no (government) presence,” Rodrigo Vera, mayor of the small coastal town of Penco in the Biobio region, told a local radio station on Sunday. “How can the minister do anything but call me to tell me that the army will arrive one day?”
Firefighters tried to put out the flames, their efforts made difficult by the heat and strong wind. Temperatures exceeded 38 degrees Celsius.
