Chilean authorities issue evacuation alerts as wildfires rage in La Araucanía

Chilean authorities issued two evacuation alerts for the southern La Araucanía region on February 9 as wildfires continue to devastate the area, claiming at least one life.

The government’s decision to evacuate aims to safeguard over 860,000 residents, although specific figures on the number of people evacuated or the extent of the damage have not been released, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

An 84-year-old woman, who had been evacuated, tragically died after returning to her home. The fires have spread rapidly due to high temperatures, strong winds, and ongoing drought conditions. The La Araucanía region, located south of the capital Santiago, is currently under a red alert as firefighting teams battle the flames.

President Gabriel Boric, who implemented a curfew in the affected areas on February 8, remarked that some of the fires appear to have been deliberately set. Authorities have since arrested five individuals in connection with the ongoing investigation.

The fires have already scorched 33,406 hectares of land in Chile, a significant decrease of 44% compared to last year. Much of the devastation is concentrated in La Araucanía, where temperatures exceeding 40°C this weekend have exacerbated the wildfires.

Meteorologist Andrés Moncada from the Chile Meteorology Service attributed the extreme temperatures to climate change, warning that such conditions are becoming increasingly frequent. Last year, the Valparaíso region saw a devastating wildfire season, with more than 1,000 homes destroyed and dozens of lives lost, also driven by an intense heatwave and strong winds.

By Aghakazim Guliyev