Chile govt declares emergency as forest fires rage in central & southern parts of country

In the wake of massive forest fires in the commune of Quillón, in the Nuble region, south of Santiago, Chilean Agriculture Minister Maria Emilia Undurraga decclared an agricultural emergency on Tuesday. Local authorities reported that several regions face an extreme crisis of water due to a lack of rainfall, resulting in the rapid spread of forest fires. Undurraga said the country is affected by 179 forest fires which have ruined over 20,000 hectares of land between the center and southern part of the nation.

"After consulting with the Emergency Operational Committee, we have decided to decree an agricultural emergency for the Quillón commune, which has 2,100 hectares affected as a result of the forest fires that have affected the area, "Undurraga tweeted.

Chile govt declares emergency as forest fires spread to central & southern parts 

Minister of the Interior Rodrigo Delgado, also arrived in Quillón on Tuesday morning to take stock of the situation and lead an Emergency Committee formed to deal with forest fires. It is necessary to mention here that due to the possibility of disasters, several regions across the country are under different types of alert and many other regions have been marked at the maximum alert level. Most fire incidents occur in sparsely populated wooded areas, putting the urban area at risk as fire can quickly expand to nearby regions if preventive measures are not applied.

According to the government, the main causes of forest fires are low humidity and high temperatures. In the forest fire, 2100 hectares and five houses were consumed in Quillón, and in La Araucana, the fire-ravaged another 12,000 hectares of forest and destroyed small farmers' crops in their area. This year, the country has reported 49 forest fires so far, and 20 of them are still active.

(With Inputs from AP)