More than 500 firefighters are battling over two dozen wildfires throughout Chile with no end in sight as weather conditions worsen fire spread, according to National Forest Corporation officials.

Security Minister Luis Cordero on Monday said at least 19 people have died in the fires, while states of emergency and mass evacuations are in place in central and southern portions of the nation, according to CNN reporting. Thousands of residents sifted through the rubble that was once their homes on Monday morning.

National Forest Corporation officials on Monday said at least 25 wildfires are still burning throughout the country. Tankers and aircraft have been mobilized throughout the weekend. Minister of Agriculture Ignacia Fernández fires are expected to worsen due to forecast weather conditions.

“The situation in the region is worrying,” Fernández said in a press release on Monday. “The weather conditions today are going to be complicated and other fires could eventually break out … We will continue to reinforce calls for a complete halt to agricultural work during the hottest hours in those municipalities under a red alert. However, it is extremely important to appeal to the responsibility and awareness of each and every citizen to prevent new outbreaks of fire.”

Officials also floated possible curfews on Monday to maintain public order as officials begin recovery efforts.

“We are not ruling out any of the powers that the Joint Chiefs of Staff have to maintain public order and to assist in the region’s recovery,” Undersecretary of Defense Ricardo Montero said. “For now, our assessment is that it is not necessary, and we are using other forms of equipment, presence, and, especially, coordination among all the armed forces and the police.”

Officials were warning the country’s residents about the potential for widespread wildfires last Thursday as forecasters predicted temperatures near 100 degrees Fahrenheit, strong winds of up to 25 mph, and low relative humidity. Residents were advised to not use electrical tools or machinery outdoors, to not burn vegetation, and to not throw cigarette butts on the dry ground.

Also in South America, large wildfires have been ongoing in Argentine Patagonia since early January 2026, impacting vast areas of native forest and shrubland. According to the local authorities, the fires spread across the provinces of Chubut, Santa Cruz and Neuquén, burning over 15,000 hectares of land and prompting the evacuation of over 3,000 residents and tourists from affected areas.

This image (below), acquired on 11 January 2026 by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites, focuses on an active fire in the province of Chubut. Healthy vegetation appears in green, while burned areas are visible as dark brown and reddish patches. Bare soil is shown in cream tones and smoke plumes are visible drifting eastwards.