Chile: 12 February 1999
12 February 1999
Due to cloud cover near the coast of southern Chile there were no hot spots or any smoke plumes detected today (for active fire and smoke plume imageries please check the daily reports of earlier this week).
The forest fire near Concepción began on Sunday 7 February 1999. As Mr. Herbert Haltenhoff, Chief of the National Fire Prevention Programme of Chile, reports, a total of 24 simultaneous forest fires have meanwhile burned more than 30.000 ha. The type of vegetation affected is: plantations Radiata pine (30%), natural forest (20%), brush (40%) and grassland (10%) (preliminary figures). In addition, nearly 60 rural houses, 1 school, and other constructions were lost.
Until yesterday more than 800 firefighters of the Forest Srvice of Chile (Corpoación Nacionál Forestál [CONAF]), Forestry Companies, City firemen, and military were involved in fire suppression. They were supported by 8 helicopters and 5 air tankers.
All fires were caused by humans (use of fire in forest and agricultural activities, campfire, and arson). The current forest fire season is the more critical than the last time. Chile is currently suffering the worst dry season in the last 60 years.
Tab.1. National fire occurrence and burned areas in Chile1994 – 1999
(Until 9 February 1999)
FIRE SEASON
FIRES
PLANTATIONS
(ha)
NATURAL FOREST
OTHERS AREAS
TOTAL
(ha)
AVERAGE (ha/Fire)
1993/94
2.563
1.977,17
28.532,69
830,86
31.340,72
12,23
1994/95
2.175
1.259,20
10.461,76
1.028,53
12.749,49
5,86
1995/96
2.971
2.600,51
17.227,80
2.564,27
22.392,58
7,54
1996/97
1.947
2.438,17
6.175,50
1.717,23
10.330,90
5,31
1997/98
2.045
1.179,81
10.419,95
404,52
12,004.28
5,87
Average
2.340
1.890,97
14.563,54
1.309,08
17.763,59
7,59
1998/99
3.121
2.716,03
35.919,37
2.117,71
40.753,11
13,06
Note: Not including the fire in the Concepción area which burned 30.000 to 35.000 ha until today.
Contact in Chile:
Herbert Haltenhoff D.
Chief, National Fire Prevention Program
Fire Management Department
National Forestry Corporation
E-mail: hhaltenh@conaf.cl
Santiago
CHILE
Additional background information: According to the 10-year fire statistics (1989-98) the fires causes in Chile are: transiting people (30%), intentionally set (29%), forest slash burning (7%), agricultural burining (7%), unknown (13%).
For some older fire analyzes and statistics: See International Forest Fire News. Photographic impressions of fires in Chile are provided in the Photo Archive.
A more recent report was presented in Brazil in 1998:
Sanhueza, Patricio I. 1998. Cooperación de los sectores public y privado en el control de los incendios forestales en Chile: Organización e integración: Claves para un buen resultado. Presented at the First South American Seminar/Fifth Tech. Meeting on the Control of Forest Fires, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 29 June to 2 July 1998.
