Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 5: A top government official reported Saturday night that hundreds of forest fires that broke out in south-central Chile during a scorching heat wave have claimed the lives of at least 23 people, prompting the government to extend an emergency decree to another region on Saturday due to the dozens of wildfires raging over Chile.
An official briefing later on Saturday revealed that more than 1,100 people had sought refuge in shelters and that the raging fires had hurt at least 979 people.
The most recent emergency declaration is for the southern region of Araucania, which is next to the previously proclaimed Biobio and Nuble regions and is situated close to the country’s lengthy Pacific coastline.
According to officials, 16 more fires started on Saturday as local summertime temperatures in the Southern Hemisphere hit 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius).
Numerous farms, particularly those that cultivate fruit for export (such as grapes, apples, and berries) as well as sizable areas of forest property are located in the three sparsely populated districts that are the subject of the emergency measures.
“Weather conditions have made it very difficult to put out (the fires) that are spreading and the emergency is getting worse,” Interior Minister Carolina Toha told reporters.
The governments of Spain, the United States, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, and Venezuela have all offered assistance, including planes and firefighters, according to officials who spoke to the media on Saturday.
