As a result of the forest fires that raged on Sunday in central and southern Chile, at least 18 people have died, authorities reported, LETA writes citing AP.
Thousands of hectares of forest and hundreds of homes have been destroyed by fire.
Due to the fires, 50,000 people were forced to evacuate.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of disaster in the Biobío and Ñuble regions.
The introduction of a state of emergency allows for better coordination of actions with the army to contain more than two dozen active forest fires that have currently engulfed an area of 8,500 hectares, according to the state forestry agency.
Every summer, forest fires occur in central and southern Chile, with the peak usually occurring in February.
In 2024, large-scale fires raged along the central coast of Chile, resulting in the deaths of at least 130 people — making it the deadliest natural disaster in the country since the devastating earthquake of 2010.
In recent weeks, forest fires have also erupted in Argentine Patagonia, in the southern part of the country, where dry and hot weather persists.
