The regions of Valparaíso, O’Higgins, Maule, Ñuble, Biobío, La Araucanía and Los Lagos are the ones that host the 16 forest fires nationwide that are in combat, according to information from Conaf. Until now, Onemi decreed the evacuation of Los Sauces and Angol (in the Araucanía region) and the La Vara sector, in Puerto Montt.
In total, Onemi issued 5 current communal red alerts:
1. Requínoa and Machalí (O’Higgins)
2. Los Sauces and Angol (Araucanía)
3. Mostazal (O’Higgins)
4. Puerto Montt (Los Lagos)
5. Quillon (Ñuble)
Balance | #CONAF record 16 #fireside in combat, in the regions of Valparaíso, O’Higgins, Maule, Ñuble, Biobío, La Araucanía and Los Lagos.
?With 5 red alerts decreed by @onemichile.Check the details of the fires here https://t.co/c6rGWEzLWW pic.twitter.com/H6ZSgEzEjl
– CONAF (@conaf_minagri) December 25, 2021
The Ministers of Agriculture, María Emilia Undurraga, and of Defense, Blado Prokurica, arrived in Temuco to monitor one of the fires on the ground, together with authorities from Araucanía, a region where the incident affects some 3,000 hectares of eucalyptus trees. At the site, the head of Agriculture said that “we are in very complex conditions, with a lot of wind and high temperatures, therefore, this is a challenge that we have that requires the collaboration of all.”
“We are having all the technological means that the armed forces have so that all the means that the public and private sectors have can be used to help end this fire that is not simple when it is already evolving”, added Defense Minister Baldo Prokurica.
To date (December 25), CONAF registers a national total of 2,212 fires for the 2021-2022 season, 6% less than the previous period (2,354) and 13% more than during the last five years (1,956); while the affected area is 13,186 hectares, 141% more than the previous period (5,470 ha) and 32% less than during the last five years (19,486 ha).
