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Chile forest fire death toll rises to 18 as state of emergency declared

Al JazeeraCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete by Fiona KelliherJanuary 18, 2026 at 08:45 PM
Chile forest fire death toll rises to 18 as state of emergency declared
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AI Summary

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Forest fires in south-central Chile have killed at least 18 people, prompting President Gabriel Boric to declare a state of emergency in the Biobio and Nuble regions on Sunday, January 18, 2026. Over two dozen active fires have forced the evacuation of more than 50,000 residents, primarily from the cities of Penco and Lirquen. The fires have destroyed at least 250 homes and burned approximately 85 square kilometers. The state of emergency allows the armed forces to assist in firefighting efforts, which are expected to be complicated by unfavorable weather conditions. The blazes are occurring in regions that experienced devastating fires in February 2024, which resulted in over 130 deaths.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context
Santiago 30% Penco 40% Lirquen 40% Luis Cordero 50% Alvaro Elizalde 50% Nuble ×370% Biobio ×480% Gabriel Boric ×390% Chile ×4100%

Keywords

forest fires 100% chile 90% state of emergency 80% deaths 70% evacuations 70% biobio 60% nuble 60% gabriel boric 50% extreme temperatures 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative
Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source
Al Jazeera
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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forest fireschilestate of emergencydeathsevacuationsbiobionublegabriel boricextreme temperatures
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