Chilean president declares state of catastrophe as wildfires kill at least 18

Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile have killed at least 18 people, scorched thousands of hectares of forest and destroyed scores of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heatwave.Chile’s president, Gabriel Boric, declared a state of catastrophe in the country’s central Biobío region and the neighbouring Ñuble region, about 500km (300 miles) south of Santiago, the capital.The emergency designation allows greater coordination with the military to rein in two dozen wildfires that have so far blazed through 8,500 hectares (21,000 acres) and prompted 50,000 people to evacuate, according to the Chilean security minister, Luis Cordero.But local officials reported that for hours on Sunday, destruction was everywhere and help from the federal government was nowhere.“Dear president Boric, from the bottom of my heart, I have been here for four hours, a community is burning and there is no [government] presence,” said Rodrigo Vera, the mayor of the small coastal town of Penco in the Biobío region. “How can a minister do nothing but call me to tell me that the military is going to arrive at some point?”Emergency workers inspect burnt-out cars after a wildfire in the municipality of Penco, Chile, 18 January 2026. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty ImagesFirefighters were struggling to extinguish the flames, but strong winds and scorching weather hampered their efforts Sunday with temperatures topping 38C (100F).Residents said the fires took them by surprise after midnight, trapping them in their homes.“Many people didn’t evacuate. They stayed in their houses because they thought the fire would stop at the edge of the forest,” said John Guzmán, 55, surveying the scene in Penco, where smoke blanketed the sky in an orange haze. “It was completely out of control. No one expected it.”Although the total number of homes burned nationwide remained unclear, one municipality of Concepción in Biobío reported 253 homes destroyed.Members of a family watch as their home burns to the ground in Penco, Chile, 18 January 2026. Photograph: Pablo Hidalgo/EPAJuan Lagos, 52, also in Penco, said: “We fled running, with the kids, in the dark.” The fire engulfed most of the city, burning cars, a school and a church.Charred bodies were found across fields, in homes, along roads and in cars.“From what we can see, there are people who died ... and we knew them well,” said Víctor Burboa, 54. “Everyone here knew them.”Matias Cid, a 25-year-old student who lives in Penco, described fast-moving flames burning through the night and devouring homes.“We had to leave with the shirts on our back. If we had stayed another 20 minutes we would have burned to death,” Cid told AFP.All but one of the fatalities so far were in Penco, Vera said.Lirquén, a small port town, was also hit hard, with many people saving themselves by rushing to the beach, said resident Alejandro Arredondo, 57.“There is nothing left standing,” he added as he surveyed a burning landscape of metal and wood that used to be people’s homes.Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report