SANTIAGO, January 18 (Reuters) – The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, announced this Sunday a state of catastrophe in two regions in the south of the country due to forest fires that forced the evacuation of at least 20,000 people and caused 16 deaths so far.
According to the Chilean forestry agency, firefighters were fighting 24 active fires across the country this Sunday morning, the most important being in the regions of Ñuble and Bíobío, which are around 500km south of the capital, Santiago.
‘In view of the serious fires in progress, I have decided to declare a state of catastrophe in the regions of Ñuble and Bio Bio. All resources are available,’ Boric said in an X post.
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Security Minister Luis Cordero told reporters on Sunday morning that 15 deaths had been confirmed in the Biobío region, bringing the total death toll to 16, after the government confirmed one death in Ñuble on Saturday.
The fires have consumed around 8,500 hectares in the two regions so far, putting several communities in the region at risk, which led authorities to declare evacuation orders.
