22 Deaths Confirmed as a Result of the Fires in Chile

The Chilean government confirmed on Saturday that 22 people have died as a result of the forest fires reported in the regions of Bío Bío, Ñuble and La Araucanía, while 554 people were injured.

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The Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá, specified in the most recent update that "we have quite complex and painful consequences. There are 22 people dead in a very hard balance: 16 of them are from the Biobío Region, five from La Araucanía and one in El Ñuble".

"In this fire, we are having in this week an area burned equivalent to that destroyed in a year. In several localities of the affected areas, we have had record temperatures that have never been known", he emphasized.

At the same time, he pointed out that due to the 251 active fires, of which 76 broke out on Friday, the three most affected regions remain in a State of Catastrophe, and stressed that although it is not expected to be extended to others, the declaration of such status will be applied if necessary.

At the same time, Tohá emphasized the need for prevention while calling for self-care and co-responsibility. In this sense, he affirmed that "we have not yet achieved the effect we want to achieve. When we cannot manage the climate, we must manage our behavior".

Likewise, the Minister pointed out that 1,429 people remain sheltered in 32 facilities and emphasized that of the total number of injured, "16 are badly burned people who are in very serious condition and cannot even be transferred".

The Minister of the Interior pointed out that 15 educational establishments and two health centers were damaged by the fires, which due to their severity have required the Armed Forces to deploy 1,834 troops, 74 vehicles, six aircraft and four vessels to combat them.