Chile Wildfires: 18 Dead, Thousands Flee Blazes

PENCO, Chile (AP) — Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile on Sunday left at least 18 people dead and destroyed hundreds of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heat wave.

Devastation in Biobio and Ñuble Regions

Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the country’s central Biobio region and the neighboring Ñuble region, around 500 kilometers (300 miles) south of Santiago, the capital. The emergency designation allows greater coordination with the military to combat over two dozen active wildfires that have so far blazed through 8,500 hectares (21,000 acres), according to the national forestry agency.

Boric expressed his support and condolences to the victims during a press conference from the hard-hit city of Concepción in the Biobio region. He warned that initial reports of 18 deaths and 300 destroyed houses were expected to rise as the extent of the losses became clearer.

He estimated the total number of affected homes in the Biobio region alone to be “certainly more than a thousand, just so far.” Already, the fires have forced 50,000 people to evacuate.

“The first priority, as you know, in these emergencies is always to fight and extinguish the fire. But we cannot forget, at any time, that there are human tragedies here, families who are suffering,” Boric said. “These are difficult times.”

Local authorities had earlier voiced frustration over the lack of government response. Rodrigo Vera, the mayor of Penco, said on local radio, “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.” He questioned why assistance hadn’t arrived sooner.

Challenging Conditions for Firefighters

Firefighters struggled to extinguish the flames, hampered by the heat and strong winds. Temperatures topped 38 C (100 F) on Sunday, and scorching weather was expected to persist through Monday, according to Interior Minister Álvaro Elizalde.

Residents reported being caught off guard by the rapid spread of the fires. “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, 55, surveying the scene in Penco, where smoke blanketed the sky.

The fire engulfed most of Penco, burning cars, a school and a church. Thousands of people sought refuge in makeshift emergency shelters. Juan Lagos, 52, said, “We fled running, with the kids, in the dark.”

The government imposed a nighttime curfew in the area. Charred bodies were found across fields, homes, along roads and in cars. Víctor Burboa, 54, said, “From what we can see, there are people who died … and we knew them well. Everyone here knew them.”

Wildfires are common in central and southern Chile during the summer months, peaking in February due to high temperatures and a yearslong drought. In 2024, massive fires ripped across Chile’s central coastline, killing at least 130 people, becoming the nation’s deadliest natural disaster since a devastating 2010 earthquake.

Neighboring Argentina has also struggled to contain wildfires consuming thousands of acres of forest in recent weeks as the country’s southern Patagonia area experiences a spell of hot, dry weather.