A thick cloud of smoke covers much of Santiago this Friday, generated by a series of forest fires which leave one dead and which led the authorities to declare the Chilean capital in health risk warning.
Due to its location, the city already suffers from high levels of pollution.
“This health risk warning has as its main indication the suspension of all physical activity in the region“, explained Gonzalo Soto, head of the regional ministerial secretariat (Seremi) of the metropolitan region of Santiago, where they live 7 out of 19 million of the Chilean inhabitants.
According to a latest assessment by the National Emergency Office (Onemi), 16 forest fires were active in three regions of central Chile, leaving as a preliminary assessment the death of a volunteer who put out the fire in the town of Colliguay (central).
“According to preliminary information, this person would be male and he was near a house” on firesaid Mauricio Tapia, director of Onemi.
The man was found burned. And he was part of an organization that works regularly with firefighters.
The authorities announced it the suspension of lessons in 7% of the more than 11,000 schools operating in Santiago, where there is a high rate of ash, especially in the western part of the capital.
“It is recommended to adopt preventive attitudes, avoid exposure to smoke population at risk and who do not practice sport,” said the presidential delegate, Constanza Martínez.
The fires
“Among the main fires is that of Panguirosa, with a damaged area of about 2,000 hectares in the municipality of Santo Domingo; Quebrada Escobar, in Villa Alemana, with 50 hectares hit so far; Cerro Viejo, municipality of Quilpué, with 960 hectares; and El Olivo, with 100 hectares, in La Calera”, explained the head of protection of the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), Pablo Lobos.
The National Emergency Office (ONEMI) specified that there are eight declarations of red alert in as many municipalities in Valparaíso, Santiago Maggiore and Biobío, in the central-southern part of the country, while Rolando Pardo, head of forest fire prevention at the National Forestry Corporation, said that We “don’t believe” that accidents can be controlled during the day.
The smoke mainly comes from four fires in the Valparaíso region and one in the metropolitan region, where Santiago and 51 other municipalities are located.
The fire in the great Santiago takes place in the hills of the municipality of Curacaví, located 35 kilometers west of the city.
ONEMI pointed out in its Twitter account that the smoke from the fires is a mixture of gases and particles of trees and materials which can damage the eyes, irritate the respiratory tract, worsen the health of people with heart, lung and respiratory diseases.
AFP and AP
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.