Concepción, Chile (January 27, 2017) — Members of a Covenant congregation were on a retreat at a campground near Concepción when they were evacuated Thursday due to an approaching wildfire, said Marcus Sobarzo, pastor of the Concepción Covenant Church and president of the Covenant Church of Chile.
“We are trying to get people back to their homes,” Sobarzo said in a translated email. “Yesterday the roads were cut off. Thank God the temperature fell yesterday afternoon, and we hope that it will not go back up. In the Central Zone (of Chile), the situation is still quite critical.”
Forest fires have ripped through central Chile over the last two weeks. A “megadrought” that began six years ago has enabled the fire to spread quickly. More than 250,000 hectares (617,500 acres) have been burned, and several towns have been strongly affected by the fires, Sobarzo said. “The crisis increased over the last three days as temperatures have been unusually high, ranging from 95-104 degrees.”
The Evangelical Covenant Church has partnered in Chile since 1994. The Covenant Church of Chile has twelve churches with more than 440 members.
