The mega-fire that occurred in Chile in January 2017 had the highest severity recorded on the planet , burning in three weeks an area close to 350,000 hectares in south-central Chile. These events have been associated with the prolonged ongoing drought that has persisted for more than one decade and with the increase in heat waves . This extreme drought and the total burned area of the last decades have been attributed to anthropogenic climate change in at least 25% and 20% of their severity, respectively . The mega-fire of summer 2017 resulted in 11 deaths, more than 1500 houses burned and the destruction of the small town of Santa Olga. The smoke from these fires exposed 9.5 million people to air pollution, causing an estimated 76 premature deaths . The direct costs incurred by the State exceeded USD 360 million . The 2017 mega-fires led to a series of institutional responses such as management plans that include preventive forestry techniques, regulatory plans containing rural-urban interface areas, an emergency forest fire plan, and promotion of native species .
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report