Chile forest fire death toll rises to 16 as state of emergency declared 

Two dozen active forest fires are tearing across southern Chile, forcing more than 50,000 people to flee their homes and killing at least 16 people, authorities have said.

Security Minister Luis Cordero told reporters at a press conference on Sunday that 15 deaths had been confirmed in the Biobio region, bringing the total to 16 after ‌the government previously reported one death in Nuble.

Biobio and Nuble – central-southern regions located about 500km (300 mi) south of the capital, Santiago – have faced the blazes’ worst effects.

President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency in both regions earlier on Sunday, writing on X that “all resources are available” to contain the fires. The declaration allowed Chile’s armed forces to start pitching in.

The majority of the evacuations have taken place in the cities of Penco and Lirquen, located in Biobio, authorities said. Together, the cities are home to around 60,000 people.

Interior Minister Alvaro Elizalde said unfavourable weather conditions in the coming days – particularly extreme temperatures – were expected to make firefighting efforts more difficult.

“We face a complicated situation,” he added.

The fires have torched around 85sq km (33sq mi) across Biobio and Nuble, prompting the mass evacuations. At least 250 homes have been destroyed so far.

South-central Chile has been battered by forest fires in recent years, with simultaneous blazes in February 2024 leading to the deaths of more than 130 people.

At the time, Boric called it the “greatest tragedy” the Latin American country had faced since a 2010 earthquake that killed at least 500 people.