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News > Latin America

Chile: Wildfires Destroy Schools in Biobio and La Araucania

  • Ecuadorian firefighter in Chile, Feb. 13, 2023.

    Ecuadorian firefighter in Chile, Feb. 13, 2023. | Photo: Twitter/ @notimundoec

Published 13 February 2023
Opinion

So far, wildfires have killed 24 people, burned nearly 300,000 hectares, and destroyed almost 1,500 homes in the Ñuble, Biobio, La Araucania, and Maule regions.

On Sunday, Education Minister Marco Antonio Avila presented a preliminary assessment of the consequences of the wildfires that have struck south-central Chile over the last month.

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So far, the fires have affected 19 elementary schools and two kindergartens, leaving some 920 students without facilities just three weeks before the start of the school year. The educational centers destroyed are in the Biobio region (14) and in La Araucania (7).

Avila reported that the Chilean government is preparing provisional centers for students to start classes in March. Subsequently, the educational authorities began to build permanent buildings.

Since the first week of February, wildfires have killed 24 people, burned nearly 300,000 hectares, and destroyed almost 1,500 homes in the Ñuble, Biobio, La Araucania, and Maule regions.

In Chile, a country where the neoliberal state eliminated the professional public fire service decades ago, poor forest management and adverse weather conditions have contributed to worsening the economic and environmental tragedy prompted by uncontainable wildfires.

On Monday, Civil Protection Department announced that Italy will send two specialists to Chile to help with the firefighting tasks. The Italian technicians will be integrated into the team led by the European Official Protection Mechanism.

So far, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, and Venezuela have also sent firefighters, the military, and specialists from various areas to extinguish forest fires.

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