SANTIAGO, January 18 (Reuters) – The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, announced on Sunday a state of catastrophe in two southern regions of the country due to wildfires that forced the evacuation of at least 20,000 people and caused 16 deaths so far.
According to the Chilean forest agency, firefighters were battling 24 active fires across the country on Sunday morning, with the most significant ones in the Ñuble and Biobío regions, located about 500km south of the capital, Santiago.
‘In view of the serious ongoing fires, I decided to declare a state of catastrophe in the Ñuble and Biobío regions. All resources are available,’ Boric said in a post on X.
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The Minister of Security, Luis Cordero, told reporters on Sunday morning that 15 deaths had been confirmed in the Biobío region, raising the total death toll to 16 after the government confirmed one death in Ñuble on Saturday.
The fires have consumed about 8,500 hectares across the two regions so far, threatening several communities in the region, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders.
