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10 February 2023
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Fire fighting helicopter crash kills two in major Chilean fires, more than 20 other killed in the fires including a fire fighter
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An aerial fire fighting helicopter owned by Helicópteros del Pacífico crashed near the town of Galvarino, in the region of La Araucanía, 700 kilometres south of Santiago, Chile, on Friday, 3 February 2023. The aircraft, a Bell UH-1D, was responding to a wildfire in the region of La Araucanía and was operating on behalf of Chile’s National Forest Corporation (CONAF). It went down at approximately 18h00. Two fatalities have been reported as a result of the crash, the aircraft’s Bolivian pilot, as well as a Chilean mechanic.
In statements reported on 4 February 2023, Mauricio Tapiaby, deputy director of the Chiliean National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response noted that the pilot had “many years of experience in aeronautics and fire fighting” and that 11 others, including a fire fighter, had died on 3 February 2023 in a “swarm” of at least 50 uncontrolled fires.
Tapia reported that 22 had suffered burns and 95 houses destroyed and swept through 47 000 hectares of forest. Ten of the deaths were in the town of Santa Juana, in Concepcion province.
The mayor of Santa Juana, Ana Albornoz, said that the fires had hit hard in the township because "the terrain is very rugged and the roads are bad. Our population is very small, with one person living atop one hill and another on another hill, while the urban area is overcrowded," she said.
Deputy Interior Minister Manuel Monsalve said that 232 wildfires were still active on Saturday, including 16 that began earlier in the day.
The government of President Gabriel Boric extended a state of disaster to include the southern region of Araucania. The regions of Nuble and Biobio were already under a disaster designation.
The move allows President Boric to mobilise the military to help battle the fires as the death toll continued to rise.
Temperatures soared to 40 degrees Celsius, hindering efforts to contain the fires, many of which raged out of control.
President Boric, who suspended a holiday to rush to the city of Concepcion, 510km south of the capital, Santiago, tweeted that he would keep working "to confront the forest fires and to help families". He said Argentina had offered to send fire fighters and equipment.
Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico and Spain have also offered help, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said.
Minister Toha added, “We are becoming one of the (nations) most vulnerable to fires, fundamentally due to the evolution of climate change. Fire conditions that would have seemed extreme just three years ago are turning more common by the year, she said.
In all, some 2 300 fire fighters and 75 aircraft have been deployed in the region.
The heatwave has created fears of a repeat of 2017, when widespread fires in the same region left 11 people dead and destroyed 1 500 homes.
A Constitutional State of Emergency has been declared for the central-south regions of Biobío and Ñuble.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric activated Armed Forces and Carabineros for prevention patrols. “It is much easier to prevent a fire than to fight it,” he said, while adding that fire control activities were progressing with an estimated 75 aircraft and 2 300 fire fighters.
Sources: Fire Aviation, AirMed and Rescue, Associated Press, Reuters
In statements reported on 4 February 2023, Mauricio Tapiaby, deputy director of the Chiliean National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response noted that the pilot had “many years of experience in aeronautics and fire fighting” and that 11 others, including a fire fighter, had died on 3 February 2023 in a “swarm” of at least 50 uncontrolled fires.
Tapia reported that 22 had suffered burns and 95 houses destroyed and swept through 47 000 hectares of forest. Ten of the deaths were in the town of Santa Juana, in Concepcion province.
The mayor of Santa Juana, Ana Albornoz, said that the fires had hit hard in the township because "the terrain is very rugged and the roads are bad. Our population is very small, with one person living atop one hill and another on another hill, while the urban area is overcrowded," she said.
Deputy Interior Minister Manuel Monsalve said that 232 wildfires were still active on Saturday, including 16 that began earlier in the day.
The government of President Gabriel Boric extended a state of disaster to include the southern region of Araucania. The regions of Nuble and Biobio were already under a disaster designation.
The move allows President Boric to mobilise the military to help battle the fires as the death toll continued to rise.
Temperatures soared to 40 degrees Celsius, hindering efforts to contain the fires, many of which raged out of control.
President Boric, who suspended a holiday to rush to the city of Concepcion, 510km south of the capital, Santiago, tweeted that he would keep working "to confront the forest fires and to help families". He said Argentina had offered to send fire fighters and equipment.
Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico and Spain have also offered help, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said.
Minister Toha added, “We are becoming one of the (nations) most vulnerable to fires, fundamentally due to the evolution of climate change. Fire conditions that would have seemed extreme just three years ago are turning more common by the year, she said.
In all, some 2 300 fire fighters and 75 aircraft have been deployed in the region.
The heatwave has created fears of a repeat of 2017, when widespread fires in the same region left 11 people dead and destroyed 1 500 homes.
A Constitutional State of Emergency has been declared for the central-south regions of Biobío and Ñuble.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric activated Armed Forces and Carabineros for prevention patrols. “It is much easier to prevent a fire than to fight it,” he said, while adding that fire control activities were progressing with an estimated 75 aircraft and 2 300 fire fighters.
Sources: Fire Aviation, AirMed and Rescue, Associated Press, Reuters
