Wildfire Traps Cabin In Araucanía Mountains, Two Dead As Flames Overrun Remote Area

Temuco, Chile— A wind-driven wildfire raced up a forested slope in the Araucanía mountains southeast of Temuco at 2:50 p.m. Tuesday, surrounding a wooden mountain cabin and killing two people inside who could not escape.

The fire started as a brush burn that escaped control near a logging road. Within 20 minutes, 40 km/h gusts pushed flames through dry underbrush and pine plantation. The cabin, used by hikers, sits in a bowl with only one dirt access road. That road was cut by flames.

Two victims, a 62-year-old caretaker and a 29-year-old volunteer firefighter who had gone to warn him, were found near the cabin doorway. CONAF, the national forest service, said they were overcome by smoke while trying to deploy a fire shelter.

"The wind shifted. Fire came from two sides. We told them to leave at 2:30, but the caretaker stayed to protect tools. The volunteer went back," said a CONAF brigade leader who led the first attack team.

Fire crews and army helicopters dropped water but could not reach the bowl until the main front passed. By then, the cabin and 12 hectares around it were burned. Two other cabins were saved by a bulldozer line.

The region has been under red alert for wildfires after weeks of low humidity and high temperatures. Araucanía has lost more than 8,000 hectares this season. Many fires are linked to agricultural burns and arson related to land conflicts.

The National Disaster Service SENAPRED ordered evacuation of three nearby campsites and closed the Malalcahuello trail network. Smoke reduced visibility on Route 181.

"Access is narrow, fuel load high. Plantation pine burns fast. We need wider breaks around isolated structures," a forestry engineer said at the command post. He asked not to be named pending an official report.

The victims’ bodies were transferred to Temuco for autopsy. The prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into the origin of the initial brush burn.

Firefighters remain on site through the night to watch for flare-ups as winds are forecast to ease by morning.