Chile: After raging through the night, forest fires in south-central Chile that have already claimed 24 lives and consumed hundreds of homes engulfed new areas on Wednesday. These fires also destroyed the habitats of endangered woodland animals.
Valentina Aravena, the manager of a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Chillan, said, "We call on everyone who can to take care of the forests which are currently on fire, as well as of our animals, specimens of vital importance."
The area affected by the fires has grown to over 300,000 hectares (741,315 acres), or almost twice the size of Greater London, according to the national forests association of Chile, CONAF, which reported the news on Wednesday.
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Authorities reported that 1,180 homes were destroyed and 2,180 people were injured, with the majority of the casualties and damage occurring in the south-central Biobio, Araucania, and uble regions.
Interior Minister Carolina Toha announced late on Wednesday that the government would impose a curfew in some provinces beginning on Thursday. She had earlier expressed concern about a lack of water tanks and urged suppliers to provide them.
Animals native to the woodlands, including the smallest deer in the world and the monito del monte, a small nocturnal marsupial, were treated for burns in the rehabilitation centre in Chillan, the region's capital.
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These, according to Aravena, were crucial species that assisted in seed dispersal. According to her, "we try to stabilise them, treat them, relieve the pain from the burns they sustained, and ideally rehabilitate them so they can return to the wild."
Local resident Enrique Narvaez observed firefighters at work overnight near the nearby city of Quillon. My house, all the trees, and everything else were destroyed by the 2011 wildfire, he claimed. "I don't want to experience it again right now."
The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, thanked his Brazilian counterpart for his offer of $672,000 in assistance and announced that he would send an air force jet with equipment, personnel, and experts for fighting fires. Additionally providing assistance are Mexico, Colombia, and Spain.
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The forestry division of Empresas Copec's pulp and wood panel manufacturer Arauco in Chile said that 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres) of its plantations may be impacted, though the exact extent is still unknown. A minister from Chile had issued a warning the previous day that this week's expected high temperatures could make matters worse.