Chile Wildfire Death Toll Reaches 131; Fire Linked to Climate Change

The number of deaths in the Chile wildfire has increased once again, and according to the Chilean government, it is now at 131, with hundreds more still missing and people being warned that the death toll could climb even further.

The incident, now known as the Valparaiso fires, is now considered the deadliest disaster in Chile since the massive earthquake in 2010. Officials have suggested that the fire could have been lit intentionally, but scientists are also suggesting that the spread was made even worse by climate change.

Chile President Gabriel Boric recently visited the area and announced that to help ease the suffering of residents, the government will be donating the furniture used for the 2023 Pan American Games to them. In addition, President Boric also stated that he would forgive the water bills for 9,200 affected homes.

Photos of people trying to escape the wildfires, as well as photos of evacuees living in tents as the fires continued to rage, have been circulating social media in the South American country as the Chile wildfires torched several towns, including the popular tourist destination of Viña del Mar where the fire was believed to have started.

According to the Associated Press, the fires began on the mountainous eastern edge of Viña del Mar. It spread to other nearby towns very quickly thanks to the dry summer weather that is happening in the southern hemisphere right now, with some very strong winds helping its spread.

The town was also supposed to hold the Viña del Mar Festival, which attracts the best in Latin music. The event organizers have since canceled the opening gala as a sign of morning, with participating singers like Alejandro Sanz, Pablo Alborán, and Maná sending messages of solidarity and also announcing that they will be donating to the wildfire victims.

Hundreds Still Missing as Rescuers Continue To Search for Survivors and Dead Bodies

Volunteers are now helping out in the removal of charred metal, broken glass, and other debris around the Chilean neighborhoods affected by the wildfires. The number of missing is now at around 300 as rescuers continue to look for them amid the blazing fires.

The fires appeared to have started to diminish on Monday, but they are still going on, though this has allowed rescuers into areas they previously could not reach. President Gabriel Boric has admitted that at least 3,000 homes had been burnt down in the Valparaiso region of Chile.

How Climate Change is Helping Spread the Deadly Chile Wildfires

Climate change has interrupted the entire global rain cycle. This means that entire regions have been left dry by the summer, and this has led many areas to be vulnerable to ignition.

"Climate change has made droughts more common," said Edward Mitchard, a forests expert at the University of Edinburgh School of Geosciences in Scotland, pointing out that climate change "makes the world hotter, which means that plants evaporate more water through them and soils get drier."

"We've had the most extreme drought ever recorded in the Amazon basin, and if you have droughts in the Amazon basin, you also get less rainfall in the south of South America," the scientist added.

READ MORE: Chile: Virginia Man Stolen as a Baby Hugs His Birth Mother for the First Time in 42 Years

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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