Chile: At least 26 dead and over 2,000 injured in deadly wildfires – Watch video

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Chile’s Interior Ministry has confirmed that more than 890,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed so far

Chile has mourned at least 26 people from the fires that have been raging for more than a week in the country.

More than 2,000 have been injured and 1,500 homes have been completely destroyed by the fires, leaving thousands of people homeless, while a heat wave has gripped the region with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius.

Chile’s Interior Ministry confirmed, according to ABC News, that more than 890,000 hectares of forest have been destroyed so far.

More than 6,000 firefighters — many of them mostly volunteers — are currently on the front lines trying to control more than 323 active fires, including 90 that are out of control, officials said.

Weather experts say the drought in Chile is due to a mix of climate change and a weather condition in the Pacific Ocean called La Nina. The combination of these conditions allowed for stronger winds from the ocean towards Chile and was a catalyst for the spread of these fires.

Chile’s government has now placed three regions in the south-central part of the country — Biobio, La Araucaunia and Nuble — on alert, and Chile’s Interior Minister Carolina Toja said a curfew would be declared in those areas, with the situation showing that it is getting worse.

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