Wildfires

Wildfires - New Zealand

As firefighters battle a blaze in the Nelson-Tasman region which has seen about 170 homes evacuated and a state of emergency declared, another fire broke out on Rabbit Island, across from Nelson Airport. Plumes of smoke had been rising from the island, directly north of Appleby and Wakefield, where evacuees have gathered. Residents had been asked to evacuate the area and Rough Island immediately. Residents of nearby Eves Valley and surrounding areas have been told to leave their homes.

Wildfires - Chile

A state of emergency has been declared in the southern regions of La Araucanía, Biobío and Los Ríos, as a result of the forest fires that are devastating those areas. More than 8,000 hectares of forests and pastures have already been burned by flames, dozens of homes have been destroyed and hundreds of people evacuated, according to reports.

Chile faces a complicated and unusual situation, because in the normally hot north, the so-called altiplanic winter has caused flooding and flooding of numerous rivers, resulting in three deaths and a girl missing. In contrast, in the south of the territory, usually cold even in the summer, high temperatures have set historical records.