A series of raging wildfires have swept through central and southern Chile, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. At least 18 people have been killed, thousands of hectares of forest have been scorched, and scores of homes have been destroyed, as the country grapples with a heatwave.
President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of catastrophe in the Biobío and Ñuble regions, about 500 kilometres south of the capital, Santiago. The emergency designation allows for greater coordination with the military to combat the two dozen wildfires that have so far blazed through 8,500 hectares (21,000 acres) and prompted 50,000 people to evacuate.
Firefighters have been struggling to extinguish the flames, but strong winds and scorching weather, with temperatures reaching 38°C (100°F), have hampered their efforts. Local officials have expressed frustration at the lack of government presence, with Rodrigo Vera, the mayor of the small coastal town of Penco in the Biobío region, pleading for more support.
“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,” Vera said. “How can a minister do nothing but call me to tell me that the military is going to arrive at some point?”
Residents of the affected areas have recounted the terror of the rapidly spreading fires, which caught many off guard. “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, a 55-year-old resident of Penco. “It was completely out of control. No one expected it.”
The destruction has been widespread, with one municipality in Biobío reporting 253 homes destroyed. Charred bodies have been found across fields, in homes, along roads, and in cars. “From what we can see, there are people who died … and we knew them well,” said Víctor Burboa, a 54-year-old resident.
As the country grapples with the aftermath of this devastating event, the focus will be on providing aid and support to the affected communities, as well as addressing the underlying factors that contributed to the severity of the wildfires.