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Forest Fires: 150 Municipalities with "Red Button" Activated Due to Conditions Favorable for Fire Outbreaks

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Amid forecasts of high temperatures, which could reach up to 35°C this week.

The so-called "red button," the tool that identifies areas with a 70% or higher probability of forest fire ignition and spread, along with wind speeds equal to or exceeding 20 km/h between 2:00 PM and 6:59 PM, was active until last night in 150 municipalities across the country. This comes amid forecasts of high temperatures this week between the regions of Arica and Aysén.

Although the alert issued Monday afternoon by the Meteorological Directorate focuses on Thursday and Friday, between the regions of Coquimbo and O'Higgins, where the highest temperatures are expected—reaching up to 35°C in mountainous areas of the Metropolitan Region—the regions most at risk for fires could be O'Higgins and Maule.

Nevertheless, this weekend saw forest fire emergencies even as far south as Chiloé, where residents of the El Polvorín neighborhood in the municipality of Castro were evacuated as a precaution.

Additionally, yesterday a forest fire in the Ensenada area prompted regional authorities to declare a yellow alert for the municipality of Puerto Varas in the Los Lagos Region. Fires were also being fought in the Biobío and Valparaíso regions.

According to data from CONAF, this season has already seen a 23% increase in the number of forest fires nationwide, and a 101% increase in the Metropolitan Region alone. However, the affected area is smaller.

There was also concern in the mountainous areas between the regions of La Araucanía and Los Lagos due to a thunderstorm alert that could spark fires in an area with vast forest coverage.

Source:El Mercurio