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Wildfires in Chile caused widespread destruction

#ChefsForChile
Central Chile | February 2024
First responders mobilized across central Chile to contain the deadliest wildfires to sweep across the region in recent history. WCK’s Relief Team was on the ground distributing meals and water to displaced families and rescue crews.

Wildfires burned through the coastal cities of Viña del Mar and Valparaíso in central Chile. Blazes destroyed huge swaths of land and forced evacuations across the region. Hundreds of firefighters were on the ground in an all-out effort to control the flames. A regional state of emergency was declared as more than 15,000 homes were affected, and more than 100 people lost their lives. 

WCK’s teams arrived on the ground and began working quickly to identify all pockets of need. We provided sandwiches and water to people who lost their homes and worked with local restaurant partners to begin cooking more meals as soon as possible. This latest outbreak of blazes impacted the region exactly one year after our teams were in Chile supporting communities affected by a different set of wildfires

We were joined on the ground by our trusted partner Fundación Gastronomía Social, who worked alongside us during other responses in the country, most recently after severe flooding in late summer 2023.

By the numbers

27

Food Truck & Restaurant Parnters

140,000+

Meals

46

Communities Supported

Chef Corps in Chile

Meet Chef Fernanda Fuentes and hear how she guided WCK’s response in her home country.

First Week in Chile

Learn about how WCK, our partners, and our volunteers worked quickly to scale up our response after the fires.

Partner Organization

Fundación Gastronomía Social

Fundación Gastronomía Social (FGS) is a local nonprofit developing systems across Chile to promote food security and human and environmental health. They have worked alongside WCK on previous responses in the country, including guiding our response after severe flooding in August 2023. FGS quickly joined our teams to scout and create connections in communities impacted by the recent wildfires, helping to distribute sandwiches and water at the same time.

Help us continue feeding families in need.

Latest from the ground

  • WCK deploys food trucks to places impacted by fires in Chile as soon as we learn there is a need for food. The team of The Tank, one of our partners in El Olivar, is serving up a national favorite: completos—hot dogs with tomatoes, avocado & three different sauces. #ChefsForChile

    Twitter | 2/13/2024
  • WCK teams are reaching the most remote and vulnerable communities impacted by the deadly wildfires in Chile. We were greeted with hugs when we arrived with much-needed meals in La Cantera. Many families here lost everything to the blazes that impacted the region. #ChefsForChile

    Twitter | 2/12/2024
  • WCK sees communities come together everywhere we go. In Chile last August, we supported people in Licantén after catastrophic rains hit the town. Now, these same people made the 6 hour journey to Viña del Mar to help provide food to families impacted by wildfires. #ChefsForChile

    Twitter | 2/11/2024