The warning significance behind the Chilean forest fire

On February 5th local time, the Chilean Legal and Medical Services Center reported that the sudden forest fire in Valparaiso on February 2nd has resulted in 122 deaths and 327 people missing. Among them, the identities of 32 deceased individuals have been confirmed, and 40 deceased individuals have undergone autopsy. The service center stated that starting from that day, the bodies will be delivered to the relatives of the deceased in batches, and some of the injured were already in critical condition when they were taken to the hospital. Chilean Finance Minister Marcel stated that preliminary estimates suggest that the losses in the Valparaiso region will reach hundreds of millions of dollars.

It is reported that this is the most serious disaster that has occurred in Chile since the 8.8 magnitude earthquake and tsunami killed over 500 people in 2010. Chile announced a two-day national mourning period starting from the 5th. At the same time, the authorities in the Valparaiso region have decided to continue maintaining a curfew in the four cities of Limash, Kilpue, Alemanavia, and Binadelma, so that the authorities can "concentrate their efforts and resources" to carry out firefighting and rescue operations.

Due to the recent sustained high temperatures, Chile has caused multiple forest fires, especially in the Valparaiso region, which has caused significant losses. The rapid spread of the fire has brought serious disasters to the local area, resulting in a large number of casualties and the destruction of houses, leaving many residents homeless. Witnesses at the scene reported that the fire was as fierce as a beast, with thick smoke rolling and flames soaring into the sky. Affected by wildfires, the sky in central Chile is shrouded in thick black smoke, causing a sharp deterioration in air quality. The Chilean government has launched an emergency response plan, dispatching a large number of firefighters and rescue teams to the scene for firefighting and search and rescue work. At the same time, the government also provides necessary materials and financial support to the affected areas to help local residents overcome difficulties.

Regarding the cause of the fire, Chilean President Boric stated on the 3rd that it cannot be ruled out that someone intentionally set fire. On the 4th, Rodrigo Mondaca, the mayor of Valparaiso Region, also claimed that some of the ignition points were in suspicious condition, perhaps due to human arson: "Four ignition points were on fire at the same time," "We, as government authorities, must spare no effort to investigate this matter and identify the perpetrators." In severely affected areas such as Binyadelma City and Alemana Town, a curfew has been announced, and residents are not allowed to go out after 9 pm to prevent illegal activities such as robbery.

Chile, located in South America, is currently in summer. In the past two months, the El Ni ñ o phenomenon has caused high temperatures and droughts in the western region of South America, significantly increasing the risk of forest fires. This is also the main reason for the rapid momentum and difficulty in extinguishing forest fires in Chile this round. At this time, the central region of Chile is experiencing heatwaves, with temperatures in some areas reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius.

In recent years, forest fires have occurred frequently in many countries and regions around the world, causing a large number of casualties and huge property losses. The occurrence of these fires almost always has the characteristics of prolonged fire duration, expanded fire scope, severe fire losses, and the release of a large amount of toxic gases, causing ecological disasters and affecting social order.

The main reasons for this are as follows:

he increase in extreme weather is the fundamental cause. Climate change has led to a significant increase in high temperatures, droughts, and strong winds that are conducive to the outbreak of wildfires, while ongoing forest fires generate a large amount of greenhouse gases, further exacerbating global warming, prolonging the wildfire season and expanding the scale of wildfires, thus creating a vicious cycle.

The dryness and flammability of combustible materials are important reasons. According to data released by the Brazilian Amazon Institute for Human and Environmental Studies, the Amazon rainforest lost 10476km between August 2020 and July 2021 ² Vegetation, satellite images show that most fires occur in recently deforested areas.

Poor control of wildfire sources is the direct cause. The survey results indicate that many fires are caused by human factors. For example, the outbreak of Amazon rainforest fires is closely related to activities such as human burning and deforestation. With the rapid development of the economy and society, there is a lack of scientific planning for urban expansion, and a large number of buildings are built in the border area between cities and forests, increasing the possibility of human induced wildfires.

The harm of forest fires is very significant and it is very difficult to deal with. From a global perspective, there is currently no highly effective way to prevent and respond to forest fires. Therefore, it is necessary to deeply remember the painful lessons of forest fires, attach great importance to the implementation of disaster prevention and reduction measures, prevent and eliminate fires in the initial controllable stage.