Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of disaster in two regions in the south of the country early this morning after devastating forest fires forced the evacuation of at least 20.000 people and claimed the lives of at least 16 people, Reuters reports.
According to Chile's forestry agency CONAF, firefighters were battling 24 active fires across the country as of this morning, the largest of which are in the regions of Nubla and Bio Bio, where the government has declared a state of emergency. The regions are located about 500 kilometers south of the capital Santiago.
"Given the serious forest fires that are still ongoing, I have decided to declare a state of disaster in the Njuble and Bio Bio regions. All resources are at your disposal," Borić wrote in a post on the X network.
Security Minister Luis Cordero told reporters this morning that 15 deaths had been confirmed in the Bio Bio region, bringing the total death toll to 16, after the government confirmed one death in Nubla on Saturday.
The fires have so far burned nearly 8.500 hectares in the two regions, endangering several local communities, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders.
Chile's emergency agency Senapred said nearly 20.000 people had been evacuated and at least 250 homes had been destroyed.
Authorities say adverse conditions, such as strong winds and high temperatures, have contributed to the spread of the fires and made it difficult for firefighters to bring them under control. Much of Chile was under a heat warning, with temperatures from Santiago to the Bio Bio region expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius today and tomorrow (Monday).
Both Chile and Argentina have been facing extreme temperatures and heat waves since the beginning of the year, and earlier this month devastating forest fires also broke out in Argentine Patagonia.
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