Chile is affected by 39 forest fires in the central and southern parts of the country that are still in combat and have forced the closure of roads.
Chile’s National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response (Senapred) reported evacuation in populated areas and companies Thursday.
The largest fire affects the commune of Quillón, in the Ñuble region, more than 440 kilometers south of the capital, which has consumed at least 1,586 hectares.
As a result of this fire, the main road to the commune of Concepción, the third most populated in the country, was closed, and the local press reported houses destroyed in this area.
Meanwhile, in the same region, in the commune of Quirihue, some 400 kilometers south of the capital, a fire has consumed at least 1,000 hectares and remains in a state of combat.
Chile’s Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve, said at a press conference that five aircraft were sent to fight the fires in the Ñuble region, and 22 aircraft are already being used to extinguish the fire in this area.
Chile closed seven national parks under the protection of the State to prevent forest fires in the face of the extreme heat wave sweeping the country’s central-southern area, informed today, Thursday, the Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela.
In addition, the Metropolitan Regional Government of Santiago de Chile activated today, Thursday, the red alert due to the heat wave, with the adoption of measures for the labor, educational, and sanitary areas.
This alert will be maintained until next Sunday in the region, where more than seven million people live, with recommendations to suspend sports and outdoor activities and grant the Chilean Labor Directorate the power to suspend work in case of danger to the health of workers.