Wildfires In Chile Leave 18 Dead As Thousands Flee
PENCO, Chile (AP) — Wildfires that broke out in central and southern Chile on Sunday killed at least 18 people, burned thousands of acres of forest and destroyed hundreds of homes, officials said, as the South American country sweltered under a heat wave.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of disaster in the country’s central Biobio region and the neighboring Ñuble region, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) south of the capital Santiago.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Below is AP’s earlier story.
PENCO, Chile (AP) — Wildfires that broke out in central and southern Chile on Sunday killed at least 15 people, burned thousands of acres of forest and destroyed scores of homes, officials said, as the South American country sweltered under a heat wave.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of disaster in the country’s central Biobio region and the neighboring Ñuble region, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) south of the capital Santiago.
The emergency designation allows for greater coordination with the military to contain two dozen wildfires that have so far spread over 8,500 hectares (21,000 acres) and forced the evacuation of 50,000 people, according to Chilean Security Minister Luis Cordero.
“All resources available,” Boric wrote to X.
But local officials reported for hours Sunday that destruction was everywhere and help from the federal government was nowhere to be found.
“Dear Mayor Boric, from the bottom of my heart I have been here for four hours, a community is burning and there is no (government) presence,” said Rodrigo Vera, mayor of the small coastal town of Penco in the Biobio region. “How can a minister call me and do nothing but tell me the army will come at some point?”
Firefighters were trying to extinguish the flames, but strong winds and scorching weather hampered their efforts on Sunday, with temperatures topping 100 F (38 C).
Residents of the neighborhood said that the fires surprised them after midnight and they were trapped in their homes.
“Many people did not evacuate. They stayed in their homes because they thought the fire would stop at the edge of the forest,” said John Guzmán, 55, who surveyed the scene in Penco, where smoke covered the sky with an orange haze. “It got completely out of control. Nobody expected this.”
Although the total number of houses burned nationwide remains unclear, the municipality of Concepcion in Biobio reported that 253 houses were destroyed.
“We ran away in the dark with the children,” said Juan Lagos, 52, who also lives in Penco. The fire engulfed most of the city; Cars, a school and a church burned.
Charred bodies were found in fields, houses, roadsides and cars.
“As far as we can see, there are people who died… and we know them well,” said Víctor Burboa, 54. “Everyone here knew them.”
