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13 Wildfires Recorded Over One Weekend: Conaf Points to Rural Plots

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A couple of days before Chillán forecasted the first heatwave of the year-end (between last Friday and this coming Wednesday), Conaf issued a statement, warning that the situation warranted an early alert.

As a basis, statistics were presented indicating that with the 77 incidents already handled this year by Conaf, the number of cases exceeded by 77% those recorded by this same date in 2024.

However, between Saturday and Sunday, the firefighting teams had to confront 14 outbreaks within the rural area of the Ñuble Region. In other words, 15.38% of the total incidents for the year occurred in just two days.

"The heat and dry vegetation are the stove. But stoves don't light themselves; someone has to light them, and that's the problem we're having," observes the regional director of Conaf, Juan Salvador Ramírez, who thus rules out the occurrence of spontaneous wildfires due to the heatwave.

And his point is as accurate as his example. "The major problem we're facing in Ñuble is due to this increase in people who moved from the city to live on rural plots because they are unaware of the precautions and preventive measures needed when using brush cutters, weed trimmers, or tractors. They are using them the same way, and when a spark flies, they don't know how to prevent the spread," he alleges.

Although these 14 outbreaks are still under investigation regarding their origin, Ramírez claims that "everything points to the majority being due to the cause I mentioned."

Regarding other negligent acts like cigarette butts in dry vegetation, bottles acting as magnifying glasses, or poorly extinguished barbecues when going to rivers or campsites to escape the heat, he adds that "it's another way of being negligent, but truthfully, it happens rarely in the region."

Rains and Heatwaves

According to Meteorology, during the transition from November to December, there will be two days with precipitation. By the end of the upcoming month, average temperatures of 36 degrees are expected in the region.

"That leads to more vegetation and increasingly drier conditions. That's why it's important for people to clean their properties. Since August 20th, there has been a ban on using fire for burning stubble, trash, or clearing land, but what we ask is that people pay attention when the use of agricultural or clearing machinery is prohibited and that they obey these restrictions. In 2024, the worst wildfires were due to that cause," he recalled.

Source:La Discusión