Chile Battles Record-Breaking Wildfires That Ravage the Land

Chile is currently facing what is believed to be its deadliest wildfire season on record, as reported by the United Nations disaster agency. Firefighters are battling to contain over 160 blazes that have raged for days, tearing and leaving a path of destruction across large parts of the country. The fires have already claimed at least 123 lives, with hundreds more missing, and the death toll is expected to rise. This disaster has devastated central and northern Chile, destroying thousands of homes and buildings and reducing entire neighbourhoods to ash.

A state of emergency was declared, with coastal cities like Viña del Mar and Valparaiso engulfed in smoke as the fires spread from forest areas to urban centres. The president has also declared days of national mourning to honor the victims.

The catastrophic fires are driven by El Niño’s global heating effects and the long-term global warming trend, which has led to more intense and frequent droughts and heatwaves. Recent abnormally high temperatures, including Santiago reaching its third-highest recorded temperature in over a century, have further fueled the fires.

This disaster underscores the dramatic increase in wildfire activity in Chile over the past few years, with 1.7 million hectares burned in the last decade alone. The combination of high temperatures, drought, and strong winds has created perfect conditions for intense and destructive fires, marking a significant escalation in the country’s wildfire crisis.

Chile Battles Wildfires That Ravage The Land: Actionable Insights on EigenPrism

All EigenPrism® users can assess the impact using the following event footprint:

LatAm 7-day Active Fire Areas as of 2024-02-06

Escape the News Cycle | Get Alerts Automatically For Events Impacting Your Assets

With EigenPrism Alerts, you can set Alerts and free yourself from constant event monitoring. Set up personalized alerts based on predefined impact thresholds and choose how you receive them – via email, SMS, or directly within EigenPrism. This way, you stay informed on your own terms, focusing only on the events that truly matter to your assets.

Set your alerts now.

Don’t have access to EigenPrism®?  

Sign up for a trial account and access full impact reports of all events. Contact us and we’ll set up a trial account for you.