Chile: a huge fire in Viña del Mar destroys hundreds of houses and kills at least two

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A violent fire broke out on Thursday in Viña del Mar, Chile. And this Friday the situation was dramatic with hundreds of houses burned and at least two deaths. The government declared the region in an emergencybut changing weather conditions ensured the fire was under control.

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“In the current conditions of the fire, in the expected climatic conditions and with the resources available, the prediction is (that it can be achieved) to control the fire during the day,” said the undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve.

In the early hours of Friday, firefighters had reported two deceased. Interior Minister Carolina Tohá came to talk about 500 houses burned.

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The mayor of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti, explained on Friday that “the consolidation of the number” of destroyed homes is underway.

“We handled a range of 200 to 500 (interested) houses. At 5am we had 131 ratified, but there are many others“, held.

Authorities said the fire was still active. in three forest areasand working to control it with 11 ground brigades, 10 helicopters and two tanker aircraft are expected to arrive.

To facilitate the work of fighting the fire, help the victims and protect the houses that had to be evacuated, the government decreed the state of constitutional exception disaster due to public calamity in the Valparaíso region and declared the sector a disaster area.

The accident, which began as a forest fire, began in the hills of Viña del Mar e advanced favored by strong gusts of wind through ravines until you reach inhabited sectors, mostly low-income, with lightly built houses and narrow streets.

“We know what the point of origin is, it is in a plant sector where there was a concentration of plants and there were some people who identified themselves in those starting points”, Rolando Pardo, head of the forest fire prevention department of the Fire Prevention Service wooded. Department, said a local radio, the State Forestry Corps (Conaf).

Boric suspends activities

President Gabriel Boric has suspended all his activities scheduled for Friday and decreed a state of emergency due to a catastrophe in the place, which allows for the mobilization of all resources, reported the undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve.

The president confirmed his move to the coastal city on Friday.

“The fire was enveloping and within minutes it changed due to the direction of the wind. Here was hell, unbearably hot, it was t

Source: Clarin

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