Following an arduous battle, authorities announced on Wednesday that the emergency caused by forest fires in Viña del Mar, Chile, has finally been contained. However, the toll has been staggering, marking these wildfires as the deadliest on record for the country, as reported by the United Nations disaster agency. Over 160 blazes have ravaged various regions, posing immense challenges to firefighters.
The tragic loss of at least 123 lives has left hundreds more missing, according to Chilean officials. As the grim task of identification continues, with 33 bodies identified and 79 autopsies conducted, the nation braces for a potentially higher death toll, with hundreds still unaccounted for.
The devastation wrought by the fires is profound, with swathes of central and northern Chile left in ruins, as thousands of homes and structures succumbed to the flames, reducing neighborhoods to ash.
President Gabriel Boric somberly declared the fires as the country’s “biggest tragedy” since the catastrophic 2010 earthquake, which claimed hundreds of lives. He empathized with the affected communities, acknowledging the catastrophic and unprecedented nature of the situation.
The gravity of the situation prompted Boric to declare a state of emergency on Sunday, as fires encroached upon urban areas like Viña del Mar and Valparaiso, shrouding coastal cities in smoke. Aerial footage depicts the haunting aftermath, with charred streets and the stark silhouette of destroyed homes.
In mourning for the fire victims, the president decreed Monday and Tuesday as days of national mourning, reflecting the nation’s collective grief.
The confluence of El Niño’s impacts and the exacerbating effects of global warming has fueled Chile’s catastrophic fires. A decade-long mega-drought, the most severe in at least a millennium, has desiccated landscapes, making them highly susceptible to ignition.
Moreover, abnormally high temperatures, including Santiago’s recent record of 37.3 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit), have intensified the infernos. A recent study published in Nature underscores the alarming escalation of wildfire activity in Chile, attributed to soaring temperatures, prolonged drought, and fierce winds, creating ideal conditions for destructive fires.
With 1.7 million hectares decimated over the past decade, Chile faces a long road to recovery from the devastation wrought by these relentless infernos.
