Fire and floods in Chile

On March 24 a state of alert was declared in southern Chile, where forest fires raged in three parks: China Muerta National Reserve, Nalca Lolco National Reserve and Conguillío National Park. By March 26, 14,000 acres had burned. The fires were blamed on drought conditions. All three parks are home to the monkey puzzle tree, a coniferous tree known to live up to a thousand years. 

In north-central Chile’s Atacama region, heavy rains beginning on March 24 caused flash flooding that killed at least 24 people. At press time, 69 others were still missing. More than 4,500 people lost their homes.