China News Service, Beijing, February 4 - Santiago News: According to foreign media reports, Chilean President Boric said on the 3rd local time that forest fires in the Valparaiso region in the central part of the country have killed at least 46 people and destroyed more than 1,100 homes. destroyed.
The Associated Press reported that Boric issued a televised speech that evening, saying that there were currently four large-scale fires in the Valparaiso region. Due to high temperatures, low humidity, and fast wind speeds, the fires expanded rapidly and were difficult to control, and the death toll was likely to rise further. . He said fire crews were working to reach communities most threatened by fires and called on residents to cooperate with rescue crews.
Reports say that Chilean authorities have asked thousands of residents in the Valparaiso region to evacuate their homes. In areas far away from the fire, residents are asked to stay at home so that fire trucks, ambulances and other emergency rescue vehicles can reach the disaster area as soon as possible.
Reuters said that the Valparaiso region has more than 1 million residents, and most of the affected residents could only watch their houses being burned down. According to statistics from the Chilean government, there are currently 92 forest fires in the country, and the affected area has increased from 30,000 hectares on the 2nd to more than 43,000 hectares. Forest fires are not uncommon in Chile. In 2023, 27 people died in forest fires in Chile, and the affected area exceeded 400,000 hectares.
On the 2nd local time, Boric announced that the Valparaiso region has entered a state of disaster emergency due to the severe forest fire situation.
The New York Times said that while the fires broke out in Chile, another South American country, Colombia, was also battling mountain fires around the capital, Bogota, with dozens of fires breaking out across the country. Recently, many countries in South America have experienced rare high-temperature weather. Climatologists believe that these extreme weather and wildfires are related to global warming. (over)