Smoke has returned to Chile’s centre-south, and with it a familiar dread for the vineyards of Itata and Bio Bio. As wildfires surge across the wider region, producers are once again on alert, watching wind direction as closely as they watch their vines.

So far at least 19 people have died and tens of thousands have been evacuated from their homes, with President Gabriel Boric declaring a state of catastrophe. Firefighters are pouring in from different regions to try to tackle the multiple blazes that are being fanned by extreme heat and strong winds.

Most of the damage has been in the coastal settlements of Penco and Lirquén, near Concepción, Chile’s second-largest city, however reports are developing of fires inland with vineyard damage already reported in Ránquil and Ñipas in Itata.

Winemakers and growers are on high alert, with water tanks and hoses on standby, ready to defend their vineyards, homes and wineries should the fires progress.

There is a chilling sense of déjà vu, in a region still marked by the scars of the devastating 2023 fires which burned more than 430,000 hectares, destroying vineyards and wineries in Itata, Bio Bio and Maule. These mega-fires left a long tail of losses beyond the flames, with widespread smoke taint, and many small growers who managed to save fruit were unable to sell their grapes after the fires.

The fires are once again forcing the question of when the government will confront the fire hazard that has come to define parts of Bio Bio and Itata — a “sea of pines” that dominates the landscape and provides ready fuel for wildfires. Much of this plantation footprint traces back to the 1970s, when state incentives introduced under the dictatorship encouraged landowners to establish pine and eucalyptus forestry.

Decades on, those highly flammable monocultures ring vineyards and farms, leaving rural livelihoods in a state of near-permanent risk.

How to help in the Chile fires 2026?

You can donate to the non-profit charity Fundación Desafío Levantemos Chile which focuses on emergency response and mobilises donations, volunteers and logistics to support communities hit by the natural catastrophes in Chile.

Beneficiary’s name: Fundación Desafío Levantemos Chile
Bank: Banco de Chile
Address: Ahumada 251, Santiago, Chile
Swift Code: BCHICLRM
Account Number: 05-000-09802701

Web: https://desafiolevantemoschile.org/causa/hoy-la-emergencia-son-los-incendios/ 

Over 130 people have died so far in the tragic wild fires that have ripped through Chile’s Valparaiso and Viña del Mar region this February. It the worst natural disaster in Chile since the 2010 earthquake with a quickly-climbing death toll. Here is how to help and donate to charities and people working in the region to provide relief to the people and animals affected:

Update:

Yesterday, five days after devastating wildfires took hold in Chile’s Valparaíso Region on 2 February, the fire brigade declared them to be under control. Some 1,900 volunteer firefighters were involved in the effort to combat the fires that not only ravaged forests and farmland but also rampaged through residential districts of tourist city Viña del Mar and other local towns, destroying around 14,000 homes and killing at least 131 people. 

Teams of doctors and vets are working 24/7 shifts to attend to the sick and injured. The operation to clean up the debris is just getting started and, in the meantime, a staggering number of people (and their pets) have been left homeless. Many have found refuge with friends or family, others are in temporary hostels, while others are camping out near the burned-out shells of their homes.  One thing is for certain – it’s going to be a long time before things get back to normal in this region.

National charities to support and donate to – How to help with the Chile wild fires

Desafío Levantemos Chile

This is a national charity that responds to disaster situations (https://desafiolevantemoschile.org/). They are now raising money for first aid kits and to help remove debris in the areas where homes have been burned down and will subsequently look at reconstruction efforts. 

The webpage for this campaign (in Spanish) includes a Paypal option for people donating from abroad: https://desafiolevantemoschile.org/finalizar-compra-2/?causa=levantemos-la-v-region&product_id=203157

Hogar de Cristo

This religious charity works with senior citizens, homeless and other vulnerable groups, and has set up a campaign specifically so they can give kits (masks, gloves, spades etc) to the people who lost their homes and need to remove the debris in the Manuel Bustos camp.

Website (in Spanish) includes details of how to donate within Chile or from abroad: https://hcstore.org/dona/

Un Techo para Chile

This charity mobilizes volunteers to build temporary housing, especially in the wake of disasters, in Chile. Visit their webpage for the Valparaíso fires campaign: https://cl.techo.org/techo-chile-lanza-campana-para-reconstruccion-tras-los-incendios-en-region-de-valparaiso/ 

Donations to help build temporary housing for fire victims can be made here: https://app.payku.cl/botonpago/index?idboton=26240&verif=49166b0e 

Colegio Médico Veterinario de Chile (association of Chilean vets)

I have personally observed the enormous operation being undertaken by vets from across the region and further afield. Scores of vets and vet technicians are working round the clock in the temporary veterinary hospitals that have been set up and the mobile veterinary units that are going into the devastated areas to find and treat farm animals and pets of every description, many of them with burns, respiratory problems, injuries or simply displaced or homeless.

The Colegio Médico Veterinario de Chile is accepting donations at the following bank account:

Name: Colegio Médico Veterinario de Chile

ID Number: 70020300-K

Bank: Banco Estado

Account number: 62900097382

Email: [email protected] – please put the reference “Incendios Febrero 2024”