NEW DELHI/KATMANDU: Nepal and parts of northern India are battling their worst forest fires in years that have devastated thousands of hectares of woodland, killed at least 18 people and sent a pall of smoke across the southern Himalayas that can been seen from space.
In Nepal, 11 people have died while trying to fight fires that have razed 280,000 hectares (692,000 acres) of forest across the country, the worst in six years.
“This year we have experienced a longer spell of dry weather and the temperatures have risen significantly, contributing to the disaster,” Forest Ministry official Krishna Prasad Acharya told Reuters.
The worst forest fires in four years in India’s northern Uttarakhand state have killed at least seven people and disrupted the lives of thousands, an emergency official said on Monday. The Uttarakhand fires have intensified in the past week, torching more than 2,000 hectares (4,900 acres) of forest.
Indian Air Force helicopters have been scooping and dumping water from reservoirs in an attempt to douse the flames, but operations were hampered by poor visibility.
A dozen locations, including in Almora, Pauri Garhwal and Chamoli districts, were badly hit, said Anil Shekhawat, a spokesman at the National Disaster Response Force.
“This can be compared with the worst fire of 2012,” Indian Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar said in New Delhi. Four people had been arrested on suspicion of starting forest fires, he added.
The number of reported forest fires has jumped to 1,689 so far this year in Uttarakhand, compared to 207 for the whole of 2015, according to data from the Forest Survey of India.
Forests cover about a quarter of India’s total area.
“The fire is under control and has shown a downward trend in the past two days,” said S. Ramaswamy, additional chief secretary of Uttarakhand.
India typically sees a rise in forest fires as temperatures rise from mid-March until the rainy season begins in June.
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India, Nepal battle worst forest fires in years
India, Nepal battle worst forest fires in years
Chile declares emergency after wildfires force 20,000 to evacuate
SANTIAGO: Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency on Sunday for two southern regions where raging wildfires have forced about 20,000 people to evacuate their homes.
Firefighters were battling 19 blazes across the country, 12 of which were in the regions of Nuble and Biobio, south of the capital Santiago.
“In the face of the ongoing serious fires, I have decided to declare a state of natural disaster for the Nuble and Biobio regions,” the left-wing president said in a post on X.
“All resources are available.”
The government has not said whether the fires killed anyone or how many homes had been impacted.
Alicia Cebrian, the director of the National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response, told local media that about 20,000 people had been evacuated.
She said most of the evacuations were in the Bibio cities of Penco and Lirquen, which have a combined population of around 60,000 people.
Images broadcast by local television showed the flames in both cities, with charred cars in the streets.
Wildfires have severely impacted south-central Chile in recent years.
In February 2024, several fires broke out simultaneously near the city of Vina del Mar, northwest of Santiago, resulting in 138 deaths, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
About 16,000 people were affected by those fires, authorities said.
Firefighters were battling 19 blazes across the country, 12 of which were in the regions of Nuble and Biobio, south of the capital Santiago.
“In the face of the ongoing serious fires, I have decided to declare a state of natural disaster for the Nuble and Biobio regions,” the left-wing president said in a post on X.
“All resources are available.”
The government has not said whether the fires killed anyone or how many homes had been impacted.
Alicia Cebrian, the director of the National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response, told local media that about 20,000 people had been evacuated.
She said most of the evacuations were in the Bibio cities of Penco and Lirquen, which have a combined population of around 60,000 people.
Images broadcast by local television showed the flames in both cities, with charred cars in the streets.
Wildfires have severely impacted south-central Chile in recent years.
In February 2024, several fires broke out simultaneously near the city of Vina del Mar, northwest of Santiago, resulting in 138 deaths, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
About 16,000 people were affected by those fires, authorities said.
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