Chile's President, Gabriel Boric, declared a state of catastrophe in two southern regions of the country in the early hours of the morning due to the forest fires affecting the area, which led to the evacuation of around 20,000 people. The Minister of Security, Luis Cordero, reported the death of at least 16 people in the catastrophe.
Forest firefighters are battling 19 fires throughout the country, 12 of them in the Ñuble and Biobío regions, about 500 kilometers south of Santiago, as reported by the AFP agency.
"Given the serious ongoing fires, I have decided to declare a state of catastrophe in the regions of Ñuble and Biobío. All resources are available," stated the Chilean president in X.
According to images broadcasted by local television, the flames affected populated areas, especially in the municipalities of Penco and Lirquen, in the Biobío region, where around 60,000 people live. Burned cars on the streets have been reported.
"The Penco area and the entire Lirquen sector are the most critical and where most evacuations have taken place. We estimate that around 20,000 people were evacuated," stated Alicia Cebrián, director of the National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response, in an interview with the Mega channel.
In recent years, Chile has experienced severe forest fires, especially in the central-southern region. In January 2024, several fires broke out simultaneously around the city of Viña del Mar, 110 kilometers northwest of Santiago. The incident resulted in 138 deaths, according to updated data from the prosecutor's office. Additionally, 16,000 people were affected by the fires, according to official figures.