Chile’s Deadliest Wildfire in Decades Claims 22 Lives
At least 23 people have lost their lives in Chile’s Deadliest Wildfire this summer. So, the government has had to issue an emergency order across the country as the extreme heat makes it harder to extinguish the flames.
An official briefing on Saturday said that more than 1,100 people had taken refuge in shelters. Besides, the estimation says at least 979 injuries happened due to the Chilean wildfire.
The most recent emergency order applies to the southern region of Araucana. Positioned close by the previously announced Biobo and Uble zones. These territories are close to the geographic center of the South American nation’s extensive Pacific coastline.
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During a press conference on Saturday, Interior Minister Carolina Tohá confirmed the death toll at 22. She reported that 1,429 individuals are staying in shelters, 554 are in the reports, and 16 have major burns. Due to such losses, it has been termed “Chile’s Deadliest Wildfire.”
As a result of the country’s extreme heat and persistent drought, Chile has had to put out dozens of fires. Weather forecasters predict that the heat wave will last until at least Wednesday, with temperatures reaching at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit. There will be gusty winds, which might make the wildfire in Chile even worse.
Hotter-than-usual conditions on Saturday led to the start of 16 new fires.
Many farms raise grapes, apples, and berries for export in the three sparsely populated regions covered by the emergency measures, and there are also large areas of forest land there. The disaster area may receive soldiers and other resources in response to these directives.
Officials stated Spain, the US, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, and Venezuela supplied planes and firefighters. Official data provided late on Friday estimates that the flames had scorched about 40,000 hectares.
On Saturday, the national forestry agency Conaf stated that 80 of the 231 wildfires were being actively battled and 151 were under control.