Wildfires raged across central and southern Chile on Sunday, forcing thousands to flee their burning homes while thousands of acres of forest area leapt in flames.
Authorities say at least 18 people have died as a result of the fires, which have been difficult for emergency crews to bring under control as the South American country swelters under a heat wave. Firefighters were struggling to extinguish the flames, but strong winds and scorching weather hampered their efforts Sunday with temperatures topping 38 degrees Celsius.
Chilean President, Gabriel Boric, declared a state of catastrophe in the country’s central Biobio region and the neighbouring Nuble region, around 500 km south of Santiago, the capital.
“All resources are available,” Boric wrote on X.
The emergency designation of a ‘catastrophe’ allows greater coordination with the military to rein in two dozen wildfires that have so far blazed through 8,500 hectares and prompted 50,000 people to evacuate, according to Chilean Security Minister Luis Cordero.
But, local officials lamented that for hours on Sunday, destruction was everywhere and help from the federal government was nowhere in sight.
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“Dear President 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, the mayor of the small coastal town of Penco in the Biobio region. “How can a minister do nothing but call me to tell me that the military is going to arrive at some point?”
Residents said that the fires took them by surprise after midnight, trapping them in their homes, not even affording many people a chance to escape.
“Many people didn’t evacuate. They stayed in their houses because they thought the fire would stop at the edge of the forest,” said John Guzmán, 55, surveying the scene in Penco, where smoke blanketed the sky in an orange haze. “It was completely out of control. No one expected it,” he said.
Although the total number of homes burned nationwide remained unclear, one municipality of Concepcion in Biobio reported 253 homes destroyed.
“We fled running, with the kids, in the dark,” said Juan Lagos, 52, also in Penco.
The fire engulfed most of the city, burning cars, a school and a church. Charred bodies were found across fields, homes, along roads and in cars.
“From what we can see, there are people who died ... and we knew them well,” said Víctor Burboa, 54. “Everyone here knew them.”
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