Chile Declares Emergency As Wildfires Kill At Least 15

Chile has declared a state of emergency after fast-moving wildfires in the country’s south killed at least 15 people and forced more than 50,000 residents to flee their homes. The blazes, burning for the past two days, have devastated large parts of the Nuble and Biobio regions, located about 500 kilometres south of the capital Santiago.

Security Minister Luis Cordero confirmed the death toll on Sunday, warning that the situation remained “extremely volatile” as strong winds and soaring summer temperatures continued to fan the flames. Nearly two dozen fires are currently active across the country, with the worst impact reported from the coastal cities of Penco and Lirquen.

President Gabriel Boric announced emergency measures in both regions through a post on social media platform X, stating that “all resources are available” to combat the disaster. The declaration allows the armed forces to join firefighting and evacuation operations, a step authorities say is crucial to containing the rapidly spreading infernos.

Interior Minister Alvaro Elizalde described the crisis as “a complicated situation,” while Alicia Cebrian, head of the National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response, said most evacuations had taken place in Biobio, home to around 60,000 people. Television footage showed entire neighbourhoods shrouded in smoke, with burnt-out cars abandoned on streets as residents fled to safety.

Chile has faced increasingly destructive wildfire seasons in recent years. In February 2024, simultaneous fires near the tourist city of Vina del Mar killed 138 people and affected nearly 16,000, marking one of the worst disasters in the nation’s recent history.