The Biobío Region is one of Chile's sixteen regions. With a population of 1.5 million, thus being the third most populated region in Chile, it is divided into three provinces: Arauco, Biobío and Concepción. The latter contains its capital and largest city, Concepción, a major city and metro area in the country. Los Ángeles, capital of the Biobío Province, is another important city in the region.
The Araucanía, La Araucanía Region is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions, and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south. Its capital and largest city is Temuco; other important cities include Angol and Villarrica.
The Biobío River is the second largest river in Chile. It originates from Icalma and Galletué lakes in the Andes and flows 380 km to the Gulf of Arauco on the Pacific Ocean.
Tolhuaca National Park is a protected area created on October 16, 1935, in an area of 3,500 ha that was previously part of the Malleco National Reserve. In 1985, a second section of Malleco National Reserve was also made part of the national park. Malleco National Reserve was the first protected wildlife area in both Chile and South America, so the land within Tolhuaca National Park is one of the oldest protected areas on the continent.
The Mapuche conflict involves indigenous Mapuche communities, also known as the Araucanians, located in Araucanía and nearby regions of Chile and Argentina. The conflict itselft is realted to the land ownership disputes between the State of Argentina and Chile since the 19th Century as well as corporations such as big forestry companies and their contractors. In the past decade of the conflict, Chilean police and some non-indigenous landowners have been confronted by indigenist militant Mapuche organizations and local Mapuche communities in the context of the conflict. Some scholars argue the conflict is an indigenous self-determination conflict; others like Francisco Huenchumilla see it as the expression of a wider political conflict that affects all of Chile given the existence of other indigenous groups.
Ñuble National Reserve is a national reserve of Chile located in the Andes of Ñuble and Biobío regions.
A series of forest fires occurred in January 2012 mainly in the communes of Carahue and Lumaco. The first fire in Araucanía Region appeared in the estate Casa Piedra in Carahue and preceded other summer wildfires in Chile in the Biobío Region and Torres del Paine National Park. By 6 January 2012, seven firefighters had died in the Araucanía fires.
The Great Fire of Valparaíso started on 12 April 2014 at 16:40 local time, in the hills of the city of Valparaíso, Chile. The wildfire destroyed at least 2,500 homes, leaving 11,000 people homeless. An additional 6,000 people were evacuated from the city, which was placed on red alert and declared a disaster zone. Fifteen people were confirmed killed and ten suffered serious injuries.
A series of wildfires burned across Chile during January 2017.
During August 2019, a number of forest fires broke out in the Canary Islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote. The fires on the island of Gran Canaria were the most severe, resulting in the loss of large areas of the island's forests and leading to the evacuation of thousands of residents from a number of towns and villages. The intense heat brought by a heat wave and the presence of strong winds, combined with the island's mountainous terrain, made extinguishing activities exceptionally difficult.
The 2020 Córdoba wildfires are a series of wildfires burning through the Córdoba Province in Argentina.
Weichán Auka Mapu (WAM) is a Mapuche armed and revolutionary organization that operates mainly in southern Chile, being a supporter of armed struggle through arson attacks, sabotage actions and clashes with firearms against police officers, in order to achieve full autonomy for the Mapuche people.
The July 2011 Chilean winter storm was a winter storm affecting the Andean portions of Biobío, including Ñuble Province, and Araucanía regions in south-central Chile. Through the Andean valleys thousands of people were left isolated because of heavy snowfall. In some sectors, blackouts occurred. Avalanches left the tourist facilities of Termas de Chillán isolated. There was a loss of livestock, mainly sheep as a consequence of the storm. On the night of July 19, temperatures as low as −18 °C (0 °F) were reported in Liucura.
The 2022 Tierra del Fuego wildfire was a fire that affected the Chilean commune of Timaukel in the west of Tierra del Fuego Island in southernmost South America. The fire was discovered on January 20 but since no flames could be found it was reportedly believed that it was already extinguished. It began in land owned by the forestry company Forestal Russfin. Days later the fire was envigorated and consumed various hectares of forest.
The 2022 Corrientes wildfires were a series of wildfires burning throughout the Corrientes Province in Argentina. It began in January of that year and continued to be active in many parts of the province, having consumed more than 800,000 hectares, which is equivalent to approximately ten percent of the province. The fire advanced over fields, mountains, wetlands and nature reserves, including the Iberá Wetlands, and has caused material damage estimated at between 25 and 40 billion pesos.
The 2022 Araucanías wildfires are a series of wildfires in the Chilean region of Araucanía. By February 26 57,000 ha had been burnt by fires. The commune of Traiguén and China Muerta National Reserve were on February 26 the places were most resources being used to fight fires. By February 25 180 haa had been consumed in China Muerta and the fire had not yet reached Conguillío National Park.
In February 2024, a series of wildfires broke out in Chile, affecting multiple regions including Valparaíso, O'Higgins, Maule, Biobío, and Los Lagos. The most severe incidents occurred in the Valparaíso Region as of 5 February 2024. The Chilean government labeled the fires as the country's worst disaster since the 2010 Chile earthquake, and declared a two-day national mourning period.
The following is a list of events in the year 2024 in Chile.
The National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response, often abbreviated as SENAPRED, is a Chilean public service responsible for advising, coordinating, organizing, planning, and supervising activities related to Disaster Risk Management in Chile. It was created by Law No. 21,364 in 2021 to replace the former National Emergency Office of the Ministry of the Interior (ONEMI), within the context of the reform of Chile's emergency management system.
The 2024 South American wildfires refer to a mega colossal series of wildfires that significantly impacted several neighboring South American countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Based on Global Wildfire Information System satellite imaging, about 346,112 wildfire hotspots damaged or destroyed 85,866,867 hectares. The massive area burned was primarily caused by anthropogenic climate change and the resulting consequences of the 2023–2024 South American drought on fire conditions. The wildfires caused significant deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, and also impacted several other international biomes including the Pantanal wetlands, becoming the second largest series of wildfires in the 21st century next to the 2023–24 Australian bushfire season, with the 2024 Brazil wildfires alone reaching fourth in area burned.
