Death toll rises as Chile wildfires spread in central areas
Firefighters and security forces battling deadly wildfires in central Chile have faced attempted attacks, unauthorized drone flights and arson while fighting blazes that have killed at least 21 people. The National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) said the fires have destroyed 45,700 hectares (176 square miles) of woodland and a handful of towns, according to its latest report released Thursday.
The total area burned in the current fires has already surpassed the area consumed by the Valparaíso and Viña del Mar inferno of 2024, which destroyed more than 8,500 hectares (33 square miles) and claimed 131 lives, CONAF said. By Thursday, the death toll had risen to 21 and the number of injured people to 305, with 2,359 homes destroyed.
Damage assessments continue; missing reported
The wildfires have forced hundreds of people to take refuge in makeshift shelters, leaving burned-out vehicles, charred animals and burned neighborhoods. Residents in the most-affected areas said people were still missing, and authorities began assessing the damage and impact Wednesday without releasing an official number of possible victims.
Skeletal remains recovered by search teams have been sent for forensic analysis to determine if they are human, authorities said in the report.
Firefighters targeted, and drones disrupt aerial operations
Along with the danger from the flames, firefighters faced other threats during the emergency that began Sunday, according to the report. At least two attacks on firefighters were reported, including an incident in which a fire brigade was attacked with gunfire, a Fire Department statement said. Police were investigating both cases but had not yet made arrests.
The Chilean President Gabriel Boric condemned the attacks during his visit, saying on X that “any aggression against firefighters is absolutely unacceptable” and “deserves the condemnation of the entire society.” He added: “Those who attack firefighters will be identified and punished to the full extent of the law.”
Another challenge for fire brigades came from civilian drones. The unauthorized flights forced the suspension of operations around the small town of Florida, where the wildfires were out of control, and authorities said the pilots were not identified in their reporting. The report said the drones can interfere with firefighting aircraft dispatched to drop water or retardant, distracting firefighters or even causing them to crash, and that several planes had to pause their work.
CONAF said the use of unmanned aircraft during firefighting is prohibited, noting that “The use of unmanned aircraft can endanger the lives of helicopter and airplane pilots working to control these fires.”
Arrests for alleged arson amid firefighting crisis
Firefighters also faced threats from people setting fires, the report said. Boric said at least 70 people in the fire season so far had been arrested for causing a fire or attempting to do so.
The Chilean Investigative Police arrested a person Thursday accused of starting a small fire in Punta de Parra, adjacent to Lirquén and another small town that was reduced to ashes. The report said residents of the Punta de Parra area were alerted to a group with materials with the intention of starting fires, according to Claudia Chamorro, head of the Biobío police region.
National mourning decreed; support and reinforcements arrive
In the Biobío region, Boric decreed national mourning for Thursday and Friday in memory of the 21 people who lost their lives. In his post on X, he said, “Amid the profound sorrow caused by the forest fires in the south-central region of our country, I have decided to decree two days of national mourning.”
In Lirquén, Pamela Crisostomo, a neighborhood association president, told AP: “The firefighters and police worked tirelessly. It was the first time I ever saw them both cry.”
Elsewhere in the affected region, Romina Gutiérrez, a volunteer collecting data from affected families, said her work involves handling a form that allows people to access benefits and support provided by the State.
Support from abroad has also been arriving, the report said. Mexico sent 145 firefighters that landed at the airport in Concepción on Thursday morning, with the next days expected to bring them to work side-by-side with Chilean firefighters among dozens of fires that remain active.
The report said air support was expected to arrive from Uruguay, whose government provided around 30 professionals and a Uruguayan air force plane to help. The U.S. Embassy made contributions “specifically with firefighting equipment,” Chilean Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren said at a press conference, and Chile’s government is also in talks with “United Nations agencies to explore further possibilities for assistance” and with the European Union through its humanitarian aid agency.