A series of forest fires that are advancing uncontrollably in southern Chile this Sunday leave at least 19 dead and thousands of evacuees. Firefighters were fighting 14 fire outbreaks in the regions of Ñuble and Biobío, about 500 kilometers south of Santiago
The total number of people who have died so far is 19. Eighteen correspond to the Biobío region and one to the Ñuble region, the authorities reported. In the middle of the southern summer, with high temperatures and strong winds, these two regions remain under red alert.
Earlier, when reporting 18 victims, President Gabriel Boric assured that he was “certain that this number will increase.” Boric also announced the night curfew in the most affected towns in the Biobío region, such as Lirquén and Penco. “The conditions are very adverse,” the president warned.
However, despite the curfew, several groups of neighbors continued working on removing debris or putting out some flames, illuminated only by flashlights.
President Boric traveled to Concepción on Sunday to lead the efforts to control the flames. He then returned to Santiago and announced that on Monday he will meet with the elected president, José Antonio Kast, “to share updated information” about the tragedy.
«In difficult times, Chile comes together. Our government and the President-elect will work together,” said the president.
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«Nothing was left standing»
The last official report put the number of affected people at 1,500; 325 homes were destroyed and more than 1,000 homes were damaged. So far, more than 25,000 hectares have been devastated by the flames and almost 50,000 people had to be evacuated.
The fires began on Saturday afternoon and spread to populated areas at dawn, where they devastated entire populations.
The weather conditions on Sunday were very difficult to control the fires. In both regions, temperatures exceeded 30 degrees and strong winds were recorded. Similar conditions are expected for this Monday.
*Journalism in Venezuela is carried out in a hostile environment for the press with dozens of legal instruments in place to punish the word, especially the laws “against hate”, “against fascism” and “against the blockade.” This content was written taking into consideration the threats and limits that, consequently, have been imposed on the dissemination of information from within the country.
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