Chile declares 'state of catastrophe' as deadly wildfires menace cities

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 1 min read 100% complete January 18, 2026 at 05:39 PM

AI Summary

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Chilean President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of catastrophe in the Ñuble and Biobío regions due to deadly wildfires. As of Sunday, at least 16 people have died, and 20,000 have been evacuated as fires rage through dry forests, destroying approximately 250 homes near Concepción. Firefighters are battling 24 fires across the country, with the most threatening located in the declared regions, affecting 20,000 hectares. Strong winds and high summer temperatures are exacerbating the situation, hindering firefighting efforts and endangering communities. The declaration allows for the allocation of all available resources to combat the fires.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Valparaíso 30% Lirquen 40% Penco 40% Conaf 50% Concepción ×260% Santiago ×360% Ñuble ×270% Biobío ×380% Gabriel Boric ×290% Chile ×4100%

Keywords

wildfires 100% state of catastrophe 90% chile 90% evacuations 70% heat alerts 60% firefighting 60% ñuble 50% drought 50% biobío 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.80

Source Transparency

Source

BBC News - World

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Chile

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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wildfires state of catastrophe chile evacuations heat alerts firefighting ñuble drought biobío

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