© Reuters. A helicopter assists during a forest fire in Santa Juana, near Concepcion, Chile, February 3, 2023. REUTERS/Juan Gonzalez.
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By Fabián Cambero and Natalia A. Ramos Miranda
SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Dozens of wildfires in Chile prompted the government to extend an emergency order to another region on Saturday as a scorching summer heat wave complicates efforts to control the fires that have claimed at least 23 lives until now.
More than 1,100 people have sought refuge in shelters, while at least 979 people have been injured by the fires, according to an official report later on Saturday.
The latest emergency order covers the southern region of Araucanía, along with the previously declared Biobío and Ñuble regions, located near the center of the South American country’s long Pacific coast.
“The weather conditions have made it very difficult to put out (the fires) that are spreading and the emergency is getting worse,” Interior Minister Carolina Toha told reporters at a press conference in the capital Santiago.
“We need to reverse that curve,” he added, noting that 76 more fires had started on Friday.
Another 16 fires ignited Saturday, officials said, when local southern hemisphere summer temperatures topped 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).
The three sparsely populated regions covered by the emergency orders are home to many farms, including where grapes, apples and berries are grown for export, as well as vast tracts of forest land.
Authorities told reporters on Saturday that the governments of Spain, the United States, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil and Venezuela have offered help, including planes and firefighters.
On Friday, an emergency support helicopter in La Araucanía crashed, killing its pilot and a mechanic, according to authorities.
Authorities reported that 11 of the victims, or almost half of the casualties reported so far, died in the town of Santa Juana in Biobío, located about 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of Santiago.
Since late last week, helicopters have dropped fire retardants on the blazes as clouds of smoke clogged roads. Firefighters and local residents fight to contain the flames against the backdrop of a hazy orange-tinged sky.
The orders allow for the deployment of additional soldiers and resources to deal with the natural disaster.
Some 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) have been burned by the fires, according to official data released late Friday, an area larger than the US city of Philadelphia.
The national forestry agency CONAF reported on Saturday that 80 of a total of 231 forest fires are being actively fought, while 151 of them are under control.
Officials said more than 90% of wildfires have been put out before they spread beyond 12 acres (5 hectares).
But for those unfortunate enough to get caught in one of the wildfires, immediate evacuation was the only option.
“I came out with what I was wearing,” said Carolina Torres, who fled an approaching fire near the city of Purén, in the Araucanía Region.
“I think everyone here did the same thing because the winds changed and you had to grab everything right away.”
On Friday, President Gabriel Boric interrupted his summer vacation and traveled to Ñuble and Biobío, pledging that the affected areas receive all the necessary support.
Boric also pointed to “signs” that some fires may have been started intentionally, but did not provide additional details.