Wildfires have smothered the central Chilean regions of Ñuble and Bíobío provinces for the third day on Monday, killing a total of 19 people as temperatures reach record highs amid the Southern Cone’s summer season.
Strong winds spread the flames on Saturday, about 500 kilometers south of the nation’s capital of Santiago, forcing some 50,000 people to evacuate their homes to escape the fires.
The Chilean government has since deployed soldiers from the Chilean armed forces after declaring both regions “disaster zones.”
President Gabriel Boric has stated that firefighters have managed to contain several of the blazes, but added that others throughout the territory remained “very active” and that other fires have now spread to neighboring Araucanía.
Over 1,500 homes have reportedly been destroyed as a result of the flames, with residents left homeless to find shelter beneath the summer’s sweltering heat.
Wildfires also spread to Penco on Sunday, where reports suggest that many residents failed to recognize the pending danger of the flames, believing that the blaze would ultimately stop at the forest’s edge, leaving homeowners trapped inside their homes, according to a report by The Guardian.
Witness accounts report of “charred bodies” strewn across public roadways, indicating last-minute attempts to evade the encroaching flames.
Initial reports also indicate that Chilean police, or the Carabineros, have taken a “male” into custody on charges suspecting him of arson in the Penco area, but further information on the development has been unconfirmed by authorities.
The Ñuble and Bíobío wildfires this weekend follow the Valparaíso region wildfire disaster that is the deadliest in Chile’s history, killing a total of 137 people.
