By Ivan Alvarado
CHILLAN, Chile (Reuters) -Forest fires across south-central Chile that have left 24 people dead and swallowed up hundreds of houses spread into new areas on Wednesday after raging overnight, burning up the habitats of vulnerable woodland animals.
“We call on everyone who can to take care of the forests which are currently on fire, and also of our animals, specimens of vital importance,” said Valentina Aravena, the manager at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Chillan.
Chile’s national forests association CONAF said on Wednesday the area affected by the fires had now spread to over 300,000 hectares (3,000 square kilometers), nearly two times bigger than Greater London.
Authorities said some 2,180 people have been injured and 1,180 houses have been destroyed, with most of the deaths and damages taking place across the south-central Biobio, Araucania and Ñuble regions.
In the rehabilitation center in Chillan, the capital of the Ñuble region, veterinarians treated burns on animals native to the woodlands, such as monito del monte, a small nocturnal marsupial, and pudus, the world’s smallest deer.
Aravena said these were essential species who helped spread seeds.
“We try to stabilize them, treat them, relieve pain from the burns they suffered, and ideally rehabilitate them so they can return to the wild,” she said.
By the nearby city of Quillon, local Enrique Narvaez watched firefighters at work overnight.
“The 2011 wildfire burnt down my house, all the trees, everything,” he said. “I don’t want to go through the same again now.”
In a briefing on Wednesday, Interior Minister Carolina Toha noted a nationwide scarcity of water tanks and asked providers to make them available so they distributed to people affected by the fires.
Chile’s President Gabriel Boric said he had spoken with his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who offered $672,000 in aid, backing up an air force jet with firefighting equipment, personnel and experts.
Spain, Colombia and Mexico are giving assistance.
A day earlier, a Chilean minister warned that high temperatures forecast for this week could further complicate the situation.
(Reporting by Ivan Alvarado in Chillan, Sarah Morland in Mexico City, Fabian Cabrero in Santiago, Juan Gonzalez in Concepcion and Reuters TV; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Marguerita Choy)
