At Least 23 Dead in Chile as Dozens of Wildfires Torch Forests

At Least 23 Dead in Chile as Dozens of Wildfires Torch Forests
A wildfire burns areas in Santa Juana, near Concepcion, Chile, on Feb. 4, 2023. Ailen Diaz/Reuters
Reuters
Updated:

SANTIAGO, Chile—A scorching summer heat wave in Chile is complicating efforts to control dozens of forest fires that so far have claimed at least 23 lives.

More than 1,100 people have sought refuge in shelters, while at least 979 people have been reported injured by the raging fires, according to an official briefing on Feb. 4, when the government extended an emergency order to another region.