Saturday, February 4, 2023 | 10:48 p.m.
The President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, spoke this Saturday morning with his Argentine counterpart Alberto Fernández and thanked him for the offer of collaboration and personnel to fight the forest fires that affect the trans-Andean country, which have already caused 22 deaths and devastated more than 47 thousand hectares. The number of injured rose to 554, of which 16 are serious, according to a new report released this Saturday by the authorities.
“I just spoke with the President @alferdez to coordinate and thank the support of the Argentine Republic in fighting fires. In addition to brigade members, we will receive machinery. We are managing support from different countries to face emergencies. We will not leave them alone!”, posted the Chilean president on his official Twitter account.
I just spoke with the President @alferdez to coordinate and thank the support of the Argentine Republic in fighting fires. In addition to brigade members, we will receive machinery. We are managing support from different countries to face an emergency. We won’t leave you alone! pic.twitter.com/tBdcSQLr35
—Gabriel Boric Font (@GabrielBoric) February 4, 2023
President Alberto Fernández, meanwhile, highlighted this Saturday the “Latin American solidarity” when responding to his Chilean counterpart, Gabriel Boric, the gratitude that the trans-Andean president spread in his networks for the collaboration of Argentina in the fight against forest fires that affect his nation, and assured that “we are a region of brotherly peoples.
“Latin American solidarity is our guide to strengthen ourselves. We will always be there to accompany you and help you overcome difficult times like this. We are a region of brotherly peoples,” Fernández remarked on his official Twitter account.
Latin American solidarity is our guide to strengthen ourselves. We will always be there to accompany you and help you overcome difficult times like this. We are a region of brother towns 🇦🇷🇨🇱 https://t.co/yJzIzOxSho
– Alberto Fernandez (@alferdez) February 4, 2023
state of catastrophe
The Chilean government also declared a state of catastrophe in the Ñuble and Biobío (central-south) regions, because the sources of accidents also affect the Maule and La Araucanía regions, reports Télam. This declaration allows for additional resources to control the emergency, restrict the free movement of people and use military forces to contain the disaster.
Boric, who suspended his summer vacation on Friday to visit the city of Concepción, 510 km south of Santiago, said on Twitter that he continued working “to face forest fires and support families.”
“We are going to be carrying out patrols throughout the area. The most important thing now is to put out the fires. The State is deployed for that,” Boric said.
According to the authorities, more than 200 fires have devastated more than 47,000 hectares, leaving 97 houses completely destroyed and 22 injured, eight of them seriously. Of the 204 active fires, 56 are out of control.
Carolina Tohá, the Minister of the Interior, said that the Chilean government is also coordinating with Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico and Spain, to increase the aid provided by Argentina.
Deceased
Of the total deaths, 10 were registered in the town of Santa Juana, in the Biobío region, five of whom were members of the same family.
The mayoress of Santa Juana, Ana Albornoz, explained the difficulties she faces in that municipality, because it is “a very rugged terrain with very poor connectivity.”
“We have a very low demographic, a neighbor on a hill and another on another hill, and a crowded and concentrated urban area, which makes any rescue task difficult,” Albornoz told Cooperativa radio.
“To evict people it is terrible, because you have to travel kilometers on roads where you cannot find people, when there is no light, it is a situation that makes all work more complex,” he added.
A resident of the town of Purén, in the La Araucanía region, recounted the progress of the fire, which has already devastated part of that town.
“The flames came from the forest, there was no time for anything. They all left their houses. The only thing they could get out was their little animals, but some still burned. The only thing people managed to do was start. The flames consumed everything, It was very fast,” he told local television.
The situation, which is far from being controlled, brings to mind the catastrophe that took place in that area at the beginning of 2017, when a forest fire left 11 dead, some 6,000 homeless, more than 1,500 homes destroyed and 467,000 hectares affected.
