Uncontrolled wildfires tore through communities in southern Chile, leaving charred ruins in their wake and at least 19 dead, authorities said, announcing the latest toll on Sunday. There was a whirlwind of fire that consumed the houses in the town below,” Matias Cid, a 25-year-old student in Penco, told AFP. Most of the fatalities from the wildfires in the region have so far been in Penco, Mayor Rodrigo Vera said. “Nothing was left standing.”In the town of Lirquen, soldiers were patrolling the streets as night fell on Sunday. Wildfires have severely impacted south-central Chile in recent years amid growing signs of the impact of climate change in the South American country, including extreme weather, droughts and floods.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 19, 2026 10:43 UTC