Forest fire in Antuco surpasses 480 hectares and maintains yellow alert in the commune

The forest fire named “711-Rucúe,” affecting the commune of Antuco in the Biobío Region, continues to be fought and has already reached an area of 486 hectares consumed, according to the latest report provided by regional authorities and emergency agencies.

The emergency, active since May 20, maintains the Yellow Alert decreed by the National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response (Senapred), a measure aimed at reinforcing resource coordination and permanent monitoring of the fire’s advance.

In recent hours, emergency teams intensified containment efforts in various sectors near the incident. Working at the site are brigades and technicians from the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), personnel from forestry companies, fire departments from Antuco, Quilleco, and Huépil, as well as Carabineros officers deployed to support evacuations and preventive security.

Authorities reported that, as a result of the emergency, 12 people had to be preventively evacuated. Some of them were transferred to the shelter set up at the Víctor Ríos Ruiz High School, while others chose to stay with relatives. Additionally, three people remain sheltered in facilities provided by the municipality.

As part of preventive measures, Senapred activated the Emergency Alert System (SAE) for mobile phones, aiming to reinforce evacuation processes in sectors near the fire’s advance.

Despite the magnitude of the incident, authorities noted that so far no destroyed homes or injured people have been reported. The regional director of Conaf Biobío, Álvaro González, highlighted that weather conditions have contributed to the firefighting efforts.

“Thank God we have no affected homes or damage to human life,” the authority stated, adding that the drop in temperatures and the shift of the Puelche wind have favored the control of the flames.

Conaf indicated that the fire’s behavior continues to be permanently monitored and that in the coming hours, the reinforcement of resources will be evaluated to move toward a potential total extinguishment of the fire.