At least 13 killed as wildfires rage in Chile

Chile’s government declared a widened state of emergency amid wildfires that have killed at least 13 people on Friday, February 3, the country’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (SENAPRED) said.

11 of the 13 killed are from the municipality of Santa Juana, where about 13,000 inhabitants live, in the province of Concepcion, news outlets reported. A female volunteer firefighter was among those killed in Santa Juana.

The fires have devastated more than 47,000 hectares across the regions of Nuble, Biobío, Maule and La Araucania, leaving 97 houses completely destroyed and 22 people injured, eight of them seriously, according to SENAPRED.

Credit: National Police of the Araucania Region via Storyful