Chile declares state of emergency over raging forest fires
Al Jazeera
At least 10 people have died and the blaze in the tourist region of Valparaiso has forced many to flee their homes.
Chile has declared a state of emergency as it battles spreading forest fires in the centre of the country that have so far killed at least 10 people.
“All forces are deployed in the fight against the forest fires,” President Gabriel Boric posted on X as he announced the measure, adding that emergency services would meet on Saturday to assess the situation.
The fires have ravaged thousands of hectares of forest since Friday, cloaking coastal cities in a dense fog of grey smoke and forcing people to flee their homes in the central regions of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso.
At least 10 people have died, according to a state representative of Valparaiso.
“We have winds of close to 40 or 50km [25-31 miles] per hour,” said Leonardo Moder, the director of Valparaiso’s national forestry corporation.
