Wildfires sweeping across central and southern Chile have killed at least 18 people and burned thousands of acres of forest, leaving widespread devastation as the country battles an intense heatwave. Local officials say hundreds of homes have already been destroyed, and the scale of the disaster continues to grow.
President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of catastrophe in the Biobio and Ñuble regions, located about 500 kilometres south of Santiago. The declaration allows the government to coordinate more closely with the military as firefighters struggle to contain more than two dozen active blazes that have already scorched 8,500 hectares.
Speaking in the hard hit city of Concepción, the president offered condolences to affected families and warned that the confirmed toll of 18 deaths and 300 destroyed homes is likely to rise. He said early assessments suggest the number of damaged or destroyed homes in Biobio alone is already well above one thousand.
The fires have forced 50,000 people to flee their homes as flames race across hillsides and rural communities. Boric said the government’s immediate priority is to fight and extinguish the fires before focusing on recovery and rebuilding.
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