In the summer season, the presence of forest and/or domestic fires has become increasingly common in Chile, which is why the authorities and the population have begun to take precautions and prepare themselves in case these fires occur. Currently, there are more than 30 active fires in various regions of the country, especially in La Araucanía, Biobío and Ñuble, according to CONAF reports, which generates concern among the population living in these areas. To avoid this situation, experts recommend taking preventive and reactive measures to save lives and reduce damages in every sense. It is important to know the risk of the area. This includes identifying potential hazards in the place where they are located. The main recommendation is to maintain a safe perimeter of at least three meters around the house, eliminating trees or dry vegetation that can serve as fuel in case of fire. This includes knowing what to do if there is a power or phone signal outage, how to evacuate, what to do with pets and animals, and defining a meeting point in case you get separated during the evacuation. When to evacuate? Although the Emergency Alert System (EAS) sends messages about evacuations, there are also signals that allow you to identify and initiate your own evacuation. Each fire generates a column of smoke that indicates the intensity and amount of material burned. If the smoke passes overhead, it is time to evacuate. If ash falls, the fire is very close and evacuation should be immediate. If smoke reaches ground level, the fire is close, and evacuation should be immediate. It is suggested that the evacuation should be done on foot, since the use of vehicles can generate traffic jams and hinder the arrival of firefighters. In addition, the wind accelerates the spread of fire, so it is crucial to evacuate at the first sign of danger. When evacuating, it is advisable to close doors and windows to reduce the risk of fire entering the house. Wetting the house can also be useful, as long as it does not affect the water supply or access to water for firefighters. It is important to use safe routes, such as open roads or rivers, and to have a predefined route plan, ideally one that has been traveled and is known to the family prior to fire season. Experts insist on evacuating with the essentials and never return to search for belongings. Nor should you try to put out a fire with household hoses or improvise escape routes. Emergency Kit It is essential to have an emergency backpack with basic items: non-perishable food, water, clothing, medicines, a first aid kit, personal documents, masks to protect against smoke, flashlight, radio and spare batteries. It is also important to have the emergency numbers of Conaf, Firefighters and Carabineros, as well as accessing the recommendations of the Senapred website to know what to do in case of forest fires. Remember to make preventive plans, take action measures and in case of risk use the emergency contacts: Conaf: 130 Firefighters: 132 Carabineros: 133