Wildfires race across Chile, leaving 18 dead and forcing thousands to flee

Deadly Wildfires Devastate Central and Southern Chile, Killing at Least 18

Raging wildfires swept through central and southern Chile on Sunday, leaving at least 18 people dead and destroying hundreds of homes as the South American country battles an intense heat wave.

President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in the central Biobio and neighboring Ñuble regions, approximately 300 miles south of Santiago. The emergency declaration enables greater military coordination to combat more than two dozen active blazes that have already scorched 21,000 acres, according to the national forestry agency.

“The first priority 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 during a press conference in Concepción, one of the hardest-hit cities in the Biobio region. “These are difficult times.”

The president warned that the initial death toll and estimate of 300 houses destroyed would likely rise as authorities gain a clearer picture of the disaster’s full impact. In the Biobio region alone, Boric estimated “certainly more than a thousand” homes had already been affected, forcing approximately 50,000 people to evacuate.

Local officials expressed frustration over what they described as a delayed government response. “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,” said Rodrigo Vera, mayor of the small coastal town of Penco in the Biobio region, during a Sunday morning radio interview. “How can a minister do nothing but call me to tell me that the military is going to arrive at some point?”

Firefighters struggled against the flames as scorching temperatures and strong winds complicated their efforts. Temperatures exceeded 38°C (100°F) on Sunday, with similarly extreme conditions forecast to continue through Monday. “Weather conditions for coming hours are not good and indicate extreme temperatures,” Interior Minister Álvaro Elizalde warned.

The fires caught many residents off guard, striking residential areas after midnight and leaving little time for evacuation. In Penco, where smoke created an orange haze across the sky, the flames consumed most of the town, including cars, a school, and a church. Thousands sought shelter in makeshift emergency centers.

“We fled running, with the kids, in the dark,” said Juan Lagos, 52, recalling the sudden evacuation.

“Many people didn’t evacuate. They stayed in their houses because they thought the fire would stop at the edge of the forest,” explained John Guzmán, 55, surveying the devastation in Penco. “It was completely out of control. No one expected it.”

Authorities discovered charred bodies throughout the affected areas – in fields, homes, along roads, and inside vehicles. The government imposed a nighttime curfew in the region as recovery efforts began.

“From what we can see, there are people who died … and we knew them well,” said Víctor Burboa, 54. “Everyone here knew them.”

Chile regularly faces wildfires during the summer months, typically peaking in February as temperatures rise and drought conditions worsen. The country is still recovering from catastrophic fires in 2024 that killed at least 130 people along the central coastline, marking Chile’s deadliest natural disaster since the devastating 2010 earthquake.

This current crisis comes as neighboring Argentina also battles extensive wildfires in its southern Patagonia region, where thousands of acres of forest have burned amid similar hot, dry weather patterns affecting the southern part of the continent.

As emergency crews continue fighting the flames, Chilean authorities are mobilizing additional resources to affected communities, with the full extent of casualties and damage expected to become clearer in the coming days.