AT LEAST 15 people are feared dead after horror wildfires ripped through huge swathes of southern Chile.
The blaze has forced around 20,000 residents to flee their homes – triggering a state emergency.
The blaze has forced around 20,000 residents to flee their homesCredit: Reuters
Firefighters battle a blaze at a house as wildfires burn in Lirquen, ChileCredit: AP
Emergency services risked their lives to tackle burning buildingsCredit: Getty
Cars are engulfed from the inside out, reduced to twisted, blackened shells
A further 14 people have been reported injured as figures rise rapidly.
Interior Minister Álvaro Elizalde said: “There are more than 160 people in shelters in the Ñuble region and more than 700 in shelters in the Biobío region.”
President Gabriel Boric declared emergency measures on Sunday across two southern regions as flames raged out of control.
Firefighters were battling 19 blazes nationwide, with 12 concentrated in the worst-hit southern regions.
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Footage shows the inferno tearing through Chile as exhausted rescue teams battle relentlessly to bring the blazes under control.
Cars are engulfed from the inside out, reduced to twisted, blackened shells as flames continue to roar through the streets.
Long-standing homes have been reduced to rubble, with entire streets wiped out by the fires.
The clip also shows thick plumes of orange and blood-red smoke swallow the sky, blotting out day light .
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In a distant shot, the skyline is glowing red with the horizon lit up by advancing walls of flame.
The President saqid in a post on X: “In the face of the ongoing serious fires, I have decided to declare a state of natural disaster for the Nuble and Biobio regions.
“All resources are available.”
Despite the scale of the disaster, the government has not said whether the fires have killed anyone or how many homes have been destroyed.
The Secretary of State said President Gabriel Boric will travel to the Ñuble and Biobío regions as the crisis deepens.
“President Boric has decided to personally go to the area, to take direct knowledge of the situation in order to reinforce the measures that have been adopted so far,” he said.
Thick plumes of orange and blood-red smoke swallow the sky, blotting out day lightCredit: Reuters
Images show the damage caused by the destruction of homesCredit: Getty
Once the flames subsided, the full extent of the damage was plain to seeCredit: AFP
People tried to recover any remnant of their livelihoods from the rubbleCredit: Reuters
He added: “We are deploying aid to the areas where the fires have been brought under control to register the affected people and ensure they receive state support to face this very difficult situation.”
The minister also warned that authorities are considering the introduction of a nighttime curfew if necessary, to limit movement and reduce risks during the emergency.
On casualties, he stressed that “we are providing information that is confirmed by the corresponding institutions.”
Alicia Cebrian, director of the National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response, said 20,000 people have been evacuated.
Most were forced out of the Biobio cities of Penco and Lirquen, which together have a population of around 60,000.
Wildfires have devastated south-central Chile in recent years.
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In February 2024, simultaneous blazes near the coastal city of Vina del Mar, northwest of Santiago, killed 138 people, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
Authorities said about 16,000 people were affected in that disaster.
The aftermath of a forest after a huge blaze tore through the regionCredit: Reuters
An aerial shot of multiple burned out cars
Homes have been reduced to rubbleCredit: Reuters
