Overview
- The death toll has risen to 19 as the blazes enter a third day in the south, according to the latest reports.
- A state of catastrophe is in force, enabling deployment of the armed forces and a nighttime curfew in the hardest-hit zones.
- More than 50,000 people have been ordered to evacuate and at least 250 to 300 homes are reported destroyed, with totals still being updated.
- Fire crews are battling roughly two dozen active fires that have scorched at least 8,500 hectares, with assessments of broader damage ongoing.
- The coastal towns of Penco and Lirquén near Concepción suffered the most severe losses as fast-moving flames overwhelmed neighborhoods overnight.