Chilean authorities say heatwaves intensify forest fires

The heat waves that did not hit Chile this summer have led to an increase in forest fires in the central area of the South American country that have devastated thousands of hectares and caused the death of at least 131 people, authorities said Tuesday.

“These extreme events have always existed, but with climate change they change in frequency, intensity and also in duration. These conditions are favorable for forest fires to develop,” said the Chilean Minister of Environment, Maisa Rojas, during a press conference.

At the beginning of February, Chile faced the biggest disaster caused by a fire in an urban area in the last 30 years, which occurred in the region of Valparaíso, which has resulted in the worst human tragedy since the earthquake and subsequent tsunami of 2010, in the middle of summer in the southern hemisphere.

According to specialists, the lack of prevention and mitigation measures, high temperatures, accompanied by strong winds and low humidity, drove the expansion of the flames, which destroyed entire suburbs, and which are currently affecting other regions of the Chilean nation.

RE DACION MAZO