STORY: Chilean President Gabriel Boric met with president-elect Jose Antonio Kast on Monday (January 19) to discuss the wildfire emergency affecting the Nuble and Biobio regions.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting at the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, Boric confirmed that at least 19 people had died and warned that the number of homes destroyed was likely to rise significantly.

Chile’s CONAF forestry agency said late Monday afternoon that firefighters were battling 34 wildfires across the country, with the largest blazes concentrated in the Nuble and Biobio regions.

As residents sifted through debris where their homes once stood, firefighters continued efforts to contain the fires amid difficult conditions.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: DRONE FOOTAGE OF AFFECTED AREAS / SOUNDBITES BY CHILEAN PRESIDENT AND PEOPLE AFFECTED BY WILDFIRES / EMERGENCY SERVICES WORKING

SHOWS: BIOBIO, CHILE (JANUARY 19, 2026) (REUTERS – Access All)

1.(MUTE) VARIOUS OF DRONE FOOTAGE OF DESTROYED AREAS AFTER WILDFIRES

2. VARIOUS OF DESTROYED AREA

3. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE REMOVING DEBRIS

4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) LOCAL AFFECTED BY WILDFIRES, JOSE BELTRAN, SAYING:

“I arrived last night at 2:00 a.m. because I work in the north. I came just to help this morning. The houses were destroyed, an intense smell of burning, and many neighbors were left with only the clothes on their backs.”

5. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WORKING IN DESTROYED AREAS

6. VARIOUS OF WILDFIRE BURNING

7. VARIOUS OF MILITARY PERSONNEL AROUND AFFECTED AREA

8. FIRE TRUCK

9. FIREFIGHTERS WORKING

SANTIAGO, CHILE (JANUARY 19, 2026) (GOVERNMENT TV – Access All)

10. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) CHILE’S PRESIDENT, GABRIEL BORIC, SAYING:

“We remain under an alert for high temperatures from the Valparaiso Region down to the Biobio Region, and as far south as the Araucania Region, including the Metropolitan Region. According to updated information from 11:00 a.m., there are currently 25 active wildfires being fought across the country. Eleven of them are of great magnitude. More than 25,000 hectares have been affected in the Biobio Region and 5,900 hectares in the Nuble Region.”

BIOBIO, CHILE (JANUARY 19, 2026) (REUTERS – Access All)

11. VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS WORKING

SANTIAGO, CHILE (JANUARY 19, 2026) (GOVERNMENT TV – Access All)

12. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) CHILE’S PRESIDENT, GABRIEL BORIC, SAYING:

“Unfortunately, we are certain that 19 of our compatriots have lost their lives, and there are hundreds of homes destroyed. From what we discussed with the president-elect (Jose Antonio Kast), these numbers will almost certainly rise significantly, and it is very likely that we will have more than a thousand (homes destroyed).”

BIOBIO, CHILE (JANUARY 19, 2026) (REUTERS – Access All)

13. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE CARRYING BOXES WITH FOOD

14. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) LOCAL AFFECTED BY THE WILDFIRES, CLAUDIA CASANUEVA, SAYING:

“It seems spectacular to me, because we really need a lot of help. And it's good because we don’t have water, we don’t have anything. So thanks to God and blessings for them. We are alone up there, by Puente Tres."

15. FIREFIGHTERS TACKLING THE FIRE

16. FIRE TRUCK PASSING THROUGH

17. SMOKE FROM WILDFIRE

18. DOGS INSIDE A CARRIER BOX

19. VETERINARIAN HELP CENTER

20. VARIOUS OF HURT CAT BEING TAKEN CARE OF

21. VETERINARIAN HELP CENTER

22. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) HEAD OF THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL DEPARTMENT OF HUALPEN, MARIO TAPIA, SAYING:

“There is a very serious situation, really serious. Many animals are burned, and therefore it is a situation that is difficult to supply given its level of complexity in a field hospital."

23. HURT DOG INSIDE A CARRIER BOX