Chile Is In Disaster Mode

• 18.01.2026, 21:52

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated.

Chilean President Gabriel Borich on Sunday declared a disaster regime in the regions of Newble and Bio-Bio in the south of the country due to widespread forest fires. This is reported by Reuters.

"Due to the serious ongoing fires, I have decided to declare a disaster regime in the regions of Newble and Bio-Bio. All resources have been deployed," Borich wrote on social media X.

According to Chile's emergency agency Senapred, some 20,000 people have been evacuated and at least 250 homes have been destroyed.

According to the forestry agency CONAF, firefighters were battling 24 active blazes across the country as of Sunday morning. The largest of them are in the regions of Newble and Bio Bio, located about 500 kilometers south of the capital Santiago. The fire has already destroyed about 8,500 hectares.

Authorities say strong winds and high temperatures are contributing to the spread of the fire and making it difficult for firefighters. Much of Chile is under an extreme heat warning - temperatures from Santiago to Bio Bio could reach 38 °C on Sunday and Monday.

Since the beginning of the year, Chile and neighboring Argentina have been experiencing extreme heat. Earlier in January, devastating forest fires broke out in Argentina's Patagonia.