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Chile declares 'state of disaster', 18 dead in wildfires

2026-01-19 07:51:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Chile declares 'state of disaster', 18 dead in wildfires

Chilean President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of disaster in two regions where fires have caused 18 deaths.

More than 50,000 people have also been evacuated in the Ñuble and Biobío regions, about 500 km south of the capital Santiago.

Boric said the death toll was expected to rise. The most dangerous fire has engulfed the dry forests bordering the coastal city of Concepción. About 250 homes have been destroyed, disaster officials said.

Local media showed images of burned-out cars on the road. Chile's forestry agency, Conaf, said firefighters were battling 24 fires across the country on Sunday. The most threatening, it added, were in Ñuble and Biobío. The fires have burned 8,500 hectares (21,000 acres) in the two regions so far.

In a state of disaster, Chile's armed forces could be deployed to help. Most of the evacuations were carried out in the towns of Penco and Lirquen, just north of Concepción, which have a population of 60,000.

Strong winds have spread the flames, exacerbated by high summer temperatures, endangering communities and hampering firefighting efforts. Much of Chile is under a heat alert, with temperatures expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius between Santiago and Biobío in the coming days.

Chile has experienced a series of devastating fires in recent years, exacerbated by long-term drought./ CNA





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