Chile Declares Catastrophe as Deadly Fires Force Evacuations

Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in two southern regions of the country where raging wildfires have killed at least 15 people and forced tens of thousands to evacuate.

Ante los graves incendios en curso he decidido declarar estado de catástrofe en las regiones de Ñuble y Bio Bio. Todos los recursos están disponibles.

— Gabriel Boric Font (@GabrielBoric) January 18, 2026

“All resources are available,” Boric wrote in a post on X about the decision early Sunday, before heading to the region of Biobío. Declaring a state of catastrophe allows the Chilean government to provide emergency relief to the affected regions.

At least 15 people have been killed in the region of Biobío in the southern part of Chile, according to Security Minister Luis Cordero.

As many as 50,000 people have been evacuated from more than 24 fires that have been reported nationwide. The majority of the fires are in the southern regions of Ñuble and Biobío, Interior Minister Álvaro Elizalde said in a livestreamed press conference.

The weather forecast for the remainder of Sunday and Monday “is not good,” Elizalde warned. “They account for extreme temperatures and therefore the situation makes combating forest fires more complex.”

Photograph: Burning houses during a wildfire in Concepcion, Chile, on Jan. 18, 2025; photo credit: Guillermo Salgado/AFP/Getty Images