PanamaTimes

Thursday, Oct 17, 2024

Chile heatwave threatens to worsen wildfires, authorities warn

Chile heatwave threatens to worsen wildfires, authorities warn

South American country is battling to contain dozens of active fires that have already killed at least 26 people.
A heatwave is threatening further wildfires in Chile’s south-central region, authorities have warned, as more than two dozen people have been killed due to the devastating blazes.

High temperatures are expected until Friday and could rise above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in the central Maule and Nuble regions, “creating a very complex situation in terms of weather”, the deputy interior minister, Manuel Monsalve, said on Tuesday.

“A very complex climate situation can arise,” said Monsalve, urging teams to be “prepared for any eventuality”.

Fires have ravaged more than 290,000 hectares (716,606 acres) across the South American nation so far, killing at least 26 people and destroying more than 1,000 houses, leaving thousands homeless.

Approximately 5,600 firefighters, mostly volunteers, are actively battling 81 priority blazes countrywide out of 301 still burning, the AFP news agency reported, citing Chilean authorities.

Air quality in the affected areas also has deteriorated significantly because of the smoke from the fires, said health minister Ximena Aguilera.

Nearly 2,000 people have been injured in a week of blazes in the regions of Biobio, La Araucania and Nuble, where a state of emergency has been in place.

Monsalve, the deputy interior minister, said on Tuesday that fire brigades from Colombia and Mexico were arriving to help. He added that 15 people had been arrested for possible links to starting the fires over activities including welding and burning animal wool.

Meanwhile, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Twitter that his country was sending a firefighting brigade and cargo plane with two Bambi Buckets – used to help extinguish blazes from the air – to Chile.

Spain, Mexico and other countries in Latin America also have said they would send firefighters and experts to help combat the fires.

One of the local volunteers, Macarena Fernandez, a 31-year-old physical education teacher, described the situation in Chile’s Santa Juana region late last week as “intense”.

“We did what we humanly could, what was within our means,” she told AFP.

“The most difficult is to see the situation of people left without homes, without their family, without their animals and completely destitute.”

But a week into the emergency, the government said some employers were calling on volunteers to return to their normal jobs.

“The more days [of fire], the more we need the volunteers, the more tired they are and the more in need of help,” said interior minister Carolina Toha.

Earlier this week, Chile’s President Gabriel Boric called for unity and resolve in response to the destruction left by the fires.

“Unity to face the tragedy, unity to rebuild ourselves. That has been and will always be the path in the face of adversity in our Chile,” he wrote on Twitter on Monday.

Officials in Chile have previously suggested that climate change was to blame for the rising temperatures and subsequent fires.

Scientists have been warning that the climate crisis – fuelled by human activity, namely the emission of greenhouse gases – will lead to increased risks of natural disasters, including wildfires, droughts and hurricanes.

“The evolution of climate change shows us again and again that this has a centrality and a capacity to cause an impact that we have to internalise much more,” Toha, the interior minister, said earlier this month.

“Chile is one of the countries with the highest vulnerability to climate change and this isn’t theory but rather practical experience.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

PanamaTimes
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta Faces Legal Battle Over Teen Social Media Addiction
UK Government Proposes Weight-Loss Injections to Combat Obesity and Boost Employment
Russia's Call for a BRICS Financial System Alternative
Indigenous Groups in Brazil Protest Carbon Credit Deal
Tesla's Robotaxi Design Strikes Controversy
Boeing to Reduce Workforce by 10% Amid Financial Strain
Brazilian Man Arrested for Decades-long Abuse and Imprisonment of Family
Donald Trump Amplifies Anti-Migrant Sentiments in Colorado Speech
Mass Looting of Chicago Cargo Train: 50 to 150 Looters Ransack Containers in Chaotic Scene
The Impact of Online Culture on Young Women: Survey Insights
Hypersonic Jet to Revolutionize Air Travel
Facilitated Communication: Miracle Tool or Manipulative Method?
US Election 2024: A Deadlock Between Trump and Harris
Dominica Sells Citizenship to Boost Climate Resilience
Elon Musk's X Faces Fines and Account Error in Brazil
Scott Jennings leaves CNN panel speechless as he tears apart Tim Walz's flimsy excuse of being "too dumb to tell the truth."
Earth Faces Severe Geomagnetic Storm from Solar Flare
China-Led Bloc Challenges The Quad in Indo-Pacific Region
Biden-Harris sent forklifts to open the border when Texas built a razor wall.
Storm Helene Devastates Eastern and Midwestern US, Claims 44 Lives
Trump Taps Elon Musk to Lead Federal Spending Cuts, Promising Trillions in Savings
Importing voters: With an election looming, the U.S. is approving citizenship applications at the fastest speed in years.
Hurricane Helene Set to Slam Florida with 'Unsurvivable' Conditions
El Salvadoran President Bukele at the UN: "Some complain that we put thousands in prison. In reality, we set millions free."
Google Commits 120 Million Dollars for Global AI Education: Sundar Pichai
Tennessee Woman Sentenced for Attempted Murder-For-Hire
Amazon Rainforest Suffers Massive Deforestation
Earth's Planetary Boundaries Breached
Elon Musk’s X Circumvents Brazil’s Supreme Court Block
Brazilian Judge Accuses Elon Musk’s X of Circumventing Court-Ordered Ban
Venezuelan Opposition Leader Coerced into Recognizing Maduro's Victory
Brazil's Firefighters Battle Amazon Blazes and Arsonists
X Social Media Platform Ordered Offline Again in Brazil
Global Workdays Required to Afford iPhone 16
In his podcast, Joe Rogan rightly questioned, "YOU NEED A VACCINE PASSPORT FOR FOOD, BUT VOTER ID IS ‘RACIST'?!"
Trump Unveils New Cryptocurrency Venture Amidst Campaign
X Update Enables App to Bypass Brazil Ban, Say Internet Providers
Delta Airlines Sets Strict Wardrobe Guidelines for Flight Attendants
Norway Achieves Milestone in Electric Vehicle Adoption
Hezbollah Hit by Explosive Pagers in Lebanon
Ex-Soldier Describes Trump Assassination Suspect's Troubled Ukraine Stint
Ghislaine Maxwell's Sex-Trafficking Conviction Upheld by Appeals Court
El Salvador's Bold Move: President Bukele Declares End to External Debt Reliance, Thanks to Bitcoin
Murdoch Family Succession Battle Begins
TikTok Faces Potential Ban in the US Amid Free Speech Concerns
Secret Service Investigates Elon Musk's Controversial Social Media Post
Meta Bans Russian State Media Networks
Impact and Aftermath of 9/11 Attacks on the US and the World
Internet Surpasses TV as UK's Leading News Source
Significant Corruption Concerns in Covid Contracts
×