Raging wildfires claim more than 120 lives, leave hundreds missing in central Chile
Intense wildfires in central Chile have resulted in at least 122 fatalities, hundreds missing, and the destruction of thousands of homes as of early Monday, February 5, 2024. A state of emergency has been declared in response to the crisis, with fires continuing to spread through densely populated areas. Chilean President Gabriel Boric and Interior Minister Carolina Tohá highlighted the severity of the situation, noting the challenges posed by 92 active fires amid unusually high temperatures and the impact of the El Niño weather pattern.
Central Chile is currently facing one of its most severe wildfire crises, with at least 122 people confirmed dead and hundreds. Unfortunately, the death toll is expected to continue rising.
The Chilean government has declared a state of emergency as the fires, exacerbated by the El Niño weather phenomenon, continue to spread across densely populated areas. Chile’s Interior Minister Carolina Tohá reported that 92 forest fires are raging in the central and southern parts of the country, driven by unusually high temperatures this week.
The deadliest fires are occurring in the Valparaíso region, prompting authorities to advise residents to stay indoors to facilitate the movement of emergency vehicles. Two significant fires near Quilpué and Villa Alemana have consumed at least 3 237 ha (8 000 acres), with the blaze moving dangerously close to the coastal resort of Viña del Mar. In Villa Independencia, a hillside neighborhood in Viña del Mar, entire blocks of homes and businesses have been obliterated.
Residents like Rolando Fernández, who lost his home in the fires, shared harrowing accounts of the blaze’s rapid spread, which left little time for evacuation.
To combat the wildfires, the government has mobilized 19 helicopters and over 450 firefighters, although reaching the most affected areas remains a challenge.
The fires have also led to blackouts, forced evacuations of hospitals and nursing homes, and destroyed critical infrastructure, including bus terminals in the Valparaíso region.
AHORA VIÑA DEL MAR: Incendio alcanzó a empresas del barrio industrial El Salto, lo que está generando explosiones. Bomberos solicita evacuar de manera urgente el sector. pic.twitter.com/qDUZaSUY7V
— Sitio del Suceso SDS (@sitiodelsuceso) February 3, 2024
City of Ashes- ViñaDelMar is burning
— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) February 4, 2024
-Pray for all #VinaDelMar #Chile #IncendioForestal #ruta68 #incendioruta68 #incendio #Valparaíso #Incendios #BREAKING #Wildfire #Fire pic.twitter.com/7nbxuYboVw
Imágenes que quedarán en la memoria de la peor catástrofe en la historia de chile de incendios forestales.#Valparaiso ayer intentando evacuar quedaron varados todos estos vehículos.
— Neomarinero (@Neomarinero) February 3, 2024
Hasta el momento oficialmente atravez del Gobierno 46 personas fallecidas e innumerables aún… pic.twitter.com/FkcEC20P2s
ESTÁ PASANDO ⚠️ Incendio forestal totalmente descontrolado afecta a la planta de aguas Nuevo Sur, en la comuna de Constitución. Se procede a evacuar algunos sectores por explosión de materiales tóxicos.
— Red Geocientífica de Chile (@RedGeoChile) February 4, 2024
📹 GPS televisión online. pic.twitter.com/HBsmUWt0SD
😷 Ante la presencia de humo, protege tus vías respiratorias con cubrebocas o mascarilla, cierra las ventanas, evita salir innecesariamente y no hagas deporte. pic.twitter.com/hqdf28S14l
— Red Geocientífica de Chile (@RedGeoChile) February 4, 2024
The El Niño weather pattern has been blamed for the droughts and higher temperatures across South America, significantly increasing the risk of forest fires. In comparison, January saw over 17 000 ha (42 000 acres) of forests destroyed in Colombia due to fires following weeks of dry weather.
Chile’s current wildfires are among the worst in recent history, following a year marked by a record heatwave that resulted in 27 deaths and affected over 162 000 ha (400 000 acres).
Updates
07:49 UTC, February 8
The death toll has reached 130. Thousands of families are still looking for loved ones with only a few bodies identified and hundreds still missing, Reuters reports.
On top of mourning their losses, survivors have had to stay alert because of subsequent looting.
Featured image credit: SDS (stillshot)
IN THIS YEAR WILDFIRES IN BOTH SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN HEMISPHERES WILL BE FAR WORSE THAN IN 2023
If one looks back at the biggest wildfires in the 19th century and early 20th century, he or she will find out that most of those massive fires happened during the periods of solar maxima. But, in recent years wildfires are also taking place during the periods of minimum activities.
If we look back at the northern hemisphere’s 2023 wildfire season, we find that many records were broken, Record-breaking wildfires have occurred all over the Northern Hemisphere during 2023, new report finds – ABC News (go.com) Also, in the Southern hemisphere the wildfires were so devastating and killed so many people. Chile battles deadliest wildfires on record as heatwave grips | Reuters
However, one thing is absolutely certain when it comes to the main cause for the massive increase of wildfires. Namely, the cause has to do with the increase in the intensity of solar radiation. In fact, throughout Earth’s long history, wildfires were the main cause for the extinction of many types of animals, including the dinosaurs. There are overwhelming evidences that the dinosaurs were extinct as a result of wildfires, and these wildfires were not triggered by asteroid or comet, but rather by the increase in the intensity of solar radiation.
DINOSAURS DIED AFTER A FIRE SWEPT EARTH, SCIENTISTS SAY – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
The Sun is spiraling up and down while rotating around another star, and surely this star is Proxima Centauri. Current physics is assuming that the Sun is only rotating around the galactic core and that is totally wrong. Yes, the Sun is eventually rotating around the core of the galaxy like all structures, large or small. In other words, all structures are rotating one another and eventually they are rotating the core. Therefore, the idea that the Sun is only rotating the galactic core is absolutely wrong, but of course that is one of the consequences of misunderstanding the force of gravity and its role in the distribution of matter.
If you want to understand the role of the Sun in wildfires then read my article. THE HELICAL SUN: The Helical Sun – Nexus Magazine