Wildfires Burn Hundreds of Hectares in Central Chile

A state of emergency was declared in central Chile early on Friday, February 3, following wildfires that burned hundreds of hectares in the regions of Nuble, Bio Bio, and Araucania.

Carolina Toha, the Chilean Ministry of the Interior, said early on Friday that a state of emergency was declared as a preventative measure for the Nuble region.

Chilean authorities were concerned about several fires burning in the Nuble, Bio Bio, and Araucania regions, covering hundreds of hectares.

Footage shared by @BomberosdeChile late on Thursday shows a large wildfire at the Agua Amarilla toll plaza on Ruta 152 near Tome in the Bio Bio region.

An evacuation order was issued for the commune of Tome, where the wildfire seen in the footage was located, in the early hours of Friday, February 3.

Local media reported that at least 700 houses were evacuated in Bio Bio on Thursday.

At least 16 communes across Chile are under red alert due to forest fires, local media reported. Credit: @BomberosdeChile via Storyful

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