A complex emergency has been affecting the Biobío Region since Saturday, January 17, 2026, as a result of a series of wildfires impacting various municipalities and towns, including Penco, Lirquén, and Punta de Parra, as well as other surrounding areas.
The rapid spread of the fire caused the blazes to reach the urban-forest interface, resulting in a large number of homes being affected and, tragically, the loss of human lives. The magnitude and extent of the fires exceeded the response capacity of local resources, prompting a request for support from the central government.
Given this situation, the SNO requested that the Metropolitan Region activate resources to reinforce the fight against forest and urban fires. The deployment included forest fire trucks, forest fire support pump trucks, and Z/BT-type supply units, with the aim of strengthening on-the-ground operations.
On the instructions of the Regional President, the President of the Council of Commanders coordinated with the 24 Fire Departments to ensure the availability of resources to form a Metropolitan Regional Task Force (FTRM-1).
Once the force was formed, the equipment was summoned to the assembly area located at COPEC Nos, on Route 5 South, from where the convoy began its journey to the affected area at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 18, 2026.
Firefighters from different regions are thus joining a coordinated effort to tackle one of the most complex forest emergencies of the summer, in a race against time to protect lives and communities.
