SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile extended its state of emergency to another region on Saturday. A firefighter has struggled to control dozens of raging wildfires that have claimed the lives of at least 22 people in a record-breaking heatwave.
The government has declared a state of emergency in the La Araucania region, located south of Nyuble and Biobio, her two regions in the central south where the state of emergency has been declared. This measure will allow greater cooperation with the military.
Interior Minister Carolina Tohá said at least 22 people were killed and 554 injured in the fire, 16 of them in critical condition. The death toll is likely to rise, as Toha said there were unconfirmed reports of at least 10 people missing. Of the deaths, 16 occurred in Biobio, 5 in La Araucania and 1 in Nuble.
The fatalities included a Bolivian pilot who died when a flame-fighting helicopter crashed in La Araucania. A Chilean mechanic also died in the accident.
At a press conference, Toha said his past week had caused fires equivalent to the range that would normally burn out in a year.
Fires erupt during record temperatures. “The thermometer has reached a point we never knew existed,” Toha said.
As of Saturday morning, Chile’s disaster agency Senapredo said he had 251 wildfires raging across Chile, 151 of which were under control.
“Yesterday he had 76 new fires,” Toha said on Saturday.
