Chilean President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of emergency in two southern regions.
Published on January 18, 2026
Two dozen active wildfires are tearing through southern Chile, forcing more than 50,000 people to flee their homes and killing at least 16 people, officials said.
Security Minister Luis Cordero told reporters at a press conference on Sunday that 15 deaths had been confirmed in the Biobio region, bringing the total to 16 after the government earlier reported one death in Nuble.
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Biobio and Nuble – a central-south region located about 500km (300 mi) south of the capital, Santiago – have suffered the worst effects of the fires.
President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency in both regions earlier Sunday, writing on X that “all resources are available” to contain the fires. This announcement led to the entry of the Chilean armed forces.
Most of the evacuees have taken place in the towns of Penco and Lirquen, located in Biobio, officials said. Together, the cities are home to about 60,000 people.
Interior Minister Alvaro Elizalde said adverse weather conditions – particularly extreme temperatures – were expected to make firefighting efforts more difficult in the coming days.
He added, “We face a complex situation.
About 85sq km (33sq mi) of fire has engulfed Biobio and Nuble, prompting mass evacuations. At least 250 houses have been destroyed so far.
South-central Chile has been plagued by forest fires in recent years, with 2,024 people killed in a single fire in February 2024. More than 130 people.
At the time, Boric called it the “biggest tragedy” the Latin American country had faced since the 2010 earthquake that killed at least 500 people.