Overview
- Officials report 20 deaths, more than 50,000 evacuations and over 7,200 registered disaster victims as impact tallies continue to rise.
- Roughly 40,000 hectares have burned with 21 active fires across Ñuble, Biobío and neighboring Araucanía, according to forestry authorities.
- Nearly 4,000 firefighters and deployed troops are focusing on still‑active fronts after cooler, wetter conditions slowed the spread overnight.
- Penco and Lirquén near Concepción suffered the worst damage with entire neighborhoods leveled and residents beginning debris removal.
- Prosecutors announced an arrest in Penco over an alleged attempt to start a new blaze as inquiries into the fires’ origins proceed and emergency aid of $350–$1,500 per family is readied.