Wildfires in Chile Prompt State of Emergency

In Latin America, a state of emergency has been declared in two regions of Chile due to devastating forest fires. Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced this on the social media platform X.

“Considering the serious fires currently raging, I have decided to declare a state of emergency in the Ñuble and Biobío regions,” the president wrote.

According to Chile’s Minister of Public Safety, Luis Cordero, at least 16 people have died due to the fires in Biobío.

On January 14, the Polytechnic University of Peru reported that wildfires in Russia cause billions of rubles in damage and millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. The primary tool for firefighting has been the firebreaks designed for suppression, but these quickly become overgrown and require constant, costly maintenance. Researchers from the educational institution have suggested using soda ash, a waste from soda production, to reinforce these breaks.