Southern Chile has been facing a major disaster since Saturday, with exceptionally intense forest fires that have already claimed 19 lives. The regions of Ñuble and Biobío, several hundred kilometers south of Santiago, are the hardest hit, and authorities fear the death toll could rise further due to extreme weather conditions.
The flames ravaged entire towns, notably Penco and Lirquén, where neighborhoods were destroyed in moments. Residents recounted fleeing in haste, sometimes towards the sea, to escape blazes described as uncontrollable, fueled by strong winds and temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius.
State of emergency reinforced and mass evacuations
Faced with the scale of the disaster, President Gabriel Boric declared a state of natural disaster and imposed a nighttime curfew in the most exposed areas to secure the rescue operations. More than 50,000 people have been evacuated and nearly 4,000 firefighters are mobilized, supported by the army.
According to authorities, several hundred homes have already been destroyed, a number expected to rise sharply. This latest tragic event revives memories of the deadly fires of 2024 and underscores once again the vulnerability of south-central Chile to increasingly frequent and devastating wildfires.
