Five of the top 10 deadliest wildfires globally since 1900 have occurred since 2018
Photo: iStock At least 131 people have died in the wildfire that ravaged Chile in February 2024, according to the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (SENAPRED), the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service, Chile.
This makes it the country’s deadliest wildfire since record-keeping began in 1900, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).
The recent wildfires fall under the category of “large wildfires” with at least 26,000 hectares of area burnt. At least 26 people died in the 2023 wildfires which burnt close to 0.42 million ha.
Source: EMDAT, the international disaster database
Five of the top 10 deadliest wildfires globally since 1900 have occurred since 2018, said Jeff Masters on the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter). Jeff Masters worked as a hurricane scientist with the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and co-founder of Weather Underground.
Wildfires are not unusual in the country but have become more intense and devastating in recent years, historical data showed.
On an average, around 6,000 fires are recorded every year in the South American country. But around 1 per cent of these are large wildfires and account for about 70 per cent of the annual burnt area in the country.
Six of the seven most damaging fire seasons on record have happened since 2014, and the country has burnt over 1.65 million hectares in total over the last 10 years, ranked by the annual burnt area.
Source: SENAPRED, the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service, Chile
The wildfires during 2016-17 had burnt a record high of about 570,197 hectares, according to the historical data on wildfires provided by SENAPRED.
The recent fire is happening six years after the historic 2017 fire season and have started at a time when extreme heatwaves ravaged Chile and other parts of South America.
There was a heatwave in central Colombia, central-southern Chile and central Argentina from January 21 to 25. The temperature in Santiago de Chile reached 98.1°F, the third-highest in 112 years.
Colombia, which saw the hottest January in three decades, recorded dozens of blazes amid high temperatures last month. The month, known for torrential rains in the country, recorded widespread wildfires.
The unusual intense and extreme wildfires forced the Colombian President to declare a national disaster. This unusual event in Colombia in January was linked to high temperatures and drought, exacerbated by the climate phenomenon known as El Nino.
Similarly, central Chile, including the Valparaíso region most affected due to the wildfires, recorded not only very high temperatures but also very low humidity and long severe droughts, said the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), referring to the Global Wildfire Information System.
The recent wildfires in Chile which began on February 2, 2024 may also be linked to climate change and El Nino, if the warnings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the scientific studies and recent statements by the WMO and scientists are considered.
“In recent weeks, central Chile has had near-record warm temperatures, reaching as high as 42.9 degrees Celsius (109°F). These conditions have fuelled the fires. Extreme drought and extremely dangerous fire conditions have been brought about by the concomitant lack of rainfall,” said Jeff Masters in a blog.
The scientific studies, including those of the IPCC, have warned that wildfires become uncontrollably larger due to climate change.
Wildfires will be more frequent, larger and intense due to climate change, the United Nations Environment Programme warned in 2022.
The burnt area nationwide due to wildfires has approximately tripled from 1981–2010 and 2014–2023, with notable increases in the majority of central Chile, according to a new study released January 2024.
The study recently published in the journal Nature stated that central Chile’s fire weather conditions have been getting worse, which has led to an increase in wildfire activity during the decade.
Source: CONAF, Chilean Forestry Agency
The study highlighted how climate-related heatwaves, droughts and El Nino occurrences all contribute to increased fire hazards in the area. Fire weather conditions (including high temperatures, low humidity, dryness, and strong winds) increase the potential for wildfires, once ignited, to rapidly spread, it noted.
“Due to the influence of El Nino, it is expected that the summer season in the region may register maximum temperatures that are above normal values for the season,” said Barbara Tapia Cortes of WMO’s regional office for the Americas.
In February 2023, the concurrence of a severe drought and persistent heatwaves resulted in extreme fire weather conditions in central Chile.
“It is worth remembering that we are emerging from 2023, which was the hottest year ever recorded. It is likely that the warming effect of the current El Niño episode will intensify the heat even more during 2024. This will cause more extreme weather events that ruin lives and destroy livelihoods,” said Barbara.
It is among the deadliest wildfire tragedies in South American history and a state of emergency was declared by President Gabriel Boric. In this context, the management and risk mitigation strategies for wildfires be implemented immediately, particularly in light of climate change and extreme weather, said WMO in a statement.
Under the Early Warnings for All initiative, the National Meteorological and Hydrological Service of Chile had issued heat advisories. The state of emergency and a period of national mourning was announced by the Chilean government on February 5, 2024.
In the meanwhile, the UN team is in close coordination with the Disaster Prevention and Response Agency, Chile. As they closely monitor the situation, the UN in a tweet, appreciated the Chilean authorities for their swift response amid 165 simultaneous fires nationwide. The UN has raised concerns about the impact of the wildfires on natural sites too with unique ecosystems and biodiversity.
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