chile's wildfires

can't lie man: i really had hoped to reseve my yap zone for sillies and funnies but i don't like standing by and just watching.

i was born and raised in chile and i love it so much its a brilliant place please visit it when its safe and when you can. i grew up amongst some brilliant people in Valparaiso and i have tons of family there. unfortunately, i dont know if theyre safe right now (edit 1: i can confirm i have heard from my family and they are safe, however, many people still need help.)

since the beginning of february, chile has been ravaged by wildfires which has spread from the forests up high to the densely populated hills in Valparaiso and the surrounding areas. the fires have devastated the region so bad that a state of emergency has ben declared and countries like mexico, brazil and france have deployed aid and firefighters to help. Even the capital Santiago is on amber alert due to the smoke and risk of fires spreading. (not the amber alert you're thinking of americans, its just the lowest level of alert in chile). numerous areas are on red alert and people have been evacuated from their homes. unfortunately, it doesn't look like many of them will have homes to return to.

at least 112 people are already confirmed dead, and according to SENAPRED, fires reaching 8,500 hectares (which is around 32.8 square miles / exactly 85 square kilometers) are still active and spreading. between 3,000 and 6,000 homes have been destroyed and the fires have affected many many more people.

i'm not sure what i can do to help from my tiny flat in london but i can at least spread the word and ask for help. if you can, please donate to the Chilean Red Cross and this fundraising page which is raising money for the people of Valparaiso. if you can't donate, please share this post and the links to the fundraising pages. i'm sure it would mean a lot to the people of chile, and to me.

my mother is going to chile in a few days and she has told me that she will be volunteering to help the people affected by the fires. i'm so proud of her and i hope she stays safe. i hope everyone stays safe.

thank you for reading this. i hope you have a good day. i hope the people of chile will have a good day soon too.