By Alexander Villegas
SANTIAGO, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced a state of catastrophe in two regions in the south of the country early on Sunday as raging wildfires forced at least 20,000 people to evacuate and left at least 16 people dead.
According to Chile's CONAF forestry agency, firefighters were battling 24 active fires across the country as of Sunday morning, with the largest being in the regions of Ñuble and Bío Bío, where the government declared the emergency. The regions are about 500 km south of the capital, Santiago.
"In light of the serious ongoing wildfires, I have decided to declare a state of catastrophe in the regions of Ñuble and Biobío. All resources are available," Boric said on a post on X.
Security Minister Luis Cordero told reporters on Sunday morning that 15 deaths had been confirmed in the region of Bío Bío, bringing the total death toll to 16 after the government confirmed a death in Ñuble on Saturday.
Fires have consumed nearly 8,500 hectares (21,000 acres) in the two regions so far, endangering multiple communities in the region, leading authorities to declare evacuation orders.
Chile's Senapred disaster agency said that nearly 20,000 people had been evacuated and at least 250 homes have been destroyed.
Authorities say adverse conditions like strong winds and high temperatures helped wildfires spread and complicated firefighters' abilities to control the fires. Much of Chile was under extreme heat alerts, with temperatures expected to reach up to 38 C (100 F) from Santiago to Bío Bío on Sunday and Monday.
Both Chile and Argentina have experienced extreme temperatures and heat waves since the beginning of the year, with devastating wildfires breaking out in Argentina's Patagonia earlier this month.
(Reporting by Alexander Villegas in Santiago; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
