Published: January 24,2017
Fast-spreading blazes in south-central Chile have destroyed around 300,000 acres of forest; many are still burning, and more are expected to flare up
"We
tried to defend our home, but the flames were too big and we had to run
out," said resident Tarcila Becerra's, standing next to a charred brick
wall that's just about all that remains of the house.
Lambs
suffered broken legs trying to escape the blaze that tore across
Becerra's land. Today there's nothing on the blackened soil left for the
few chickens that survived to graze on, and horses whinny in a
makeshift stable a few blocks from her ravaged home.
She
and her brothers work as fruit packers. But she fears that after
missing a week of work to try to save their home and livestock, they may
have lost their jobs too.
Residents
in the town of Pumanque, located in the hard-hit south-central region
of O'Higgins, have lost most of their belongings and their very
livelihood to some of the worst wildfires ever seen in Chile.
Chile's
Public Works Ministry said Monday that heavy machinery will be sent to
the area to bury the hundreds of animals that died in the wave of fires,
which have been stoked by a prolonged drought and temperatures topping
100 Fahrenheit.
In Pumanque, some 130 miles south
of the capital, Santiago, folks have been battling the fires themselves,
without any protective gear and often using just branches or bottles of
water. The few helicopters working in the area have been dropping water
on the flames, and firefighters have dug ditches to stop their spread.
But sometimes those efforts are undone as winds or smoldering ash spread the fires anew.
Their
ferocity prompted President Michelle Bachelet to ask Brazil, Canada,
Mexico, Peru and Spain for help. The U.S. is also sending a group of
experts and funds to replace equipment at Chile's national forestry
agency.
"Chile is living the greatest forest
disaster in our history," Bachelet said. "But we have the courage and
the solidarity to face it."
As the flames destroyed homes, pasture and livestock in O'Higgins, some ranchers set their animals free to flee.
The
government has declared a state of emergency in the area. But some say
the government has been slow to react make the declaration, which frees
up resources to be distributed to victims.
Smoke
has shrouded various cities including Santiago, where the nearby Andes
mountain range remains hidden from view. Ash has blanketed homes and
vehicles.
The forestry agency, CONAF, said Monday
there were still 122 wildfires burning across the country. The agency
says there have been 2,808 fires since July that burned a total of about
550,000 acres, a large spike over previous years.
More blazes are expected with forecasts of high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity for the coming days.
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