The alarm was raised in several cities of kilos for the multiple fires broke out at the same time during Friday evening and at least this has already caused it 19 dead. The authorities decreed it curfew in Viña del Mar and other cities tourist.
The uncontrolled fire largely affected the Valparaíso region, 100 kilometers east of Santiago. “The death toll is very provisional. They all come from the same sector, Villa Independencia, in the Achupallas sector,” Interior Minister Carolina Tohá announced in a press conference.
“There are other areas of the fire where we do not yet have confirmed data. So far there are 19 people dead, of which 15 have been identified,” he said. The minister also reported this 92 active fires and 43,000 hectares burned.
The fire, which had not yet been put out as of midday on Saturday, destroyed thousands of homes in several places in the region, where President Gabriel Boric has decreed a curfew from the catastrophe in order to mobilize the resources necessary to deal with the emergency. It applies to the municipalities of Limache, Quilpué, Villa Alemana and Viña del Mar.
The priority is on fires in Valparaíso due to its proximity to urban areas. Several outbreaks have been recorded in that region, two of which are large-scale: one affects the Las Tablas complex, with 6,800 hectares, and the other affects Lo Moscoso, in Quilpué, with 1,150 hectares.
All these areas are located between 80 and 120 kilometers northwest of Santiago, are home to wineries, agricultural and lumber companies and, given their proximity to the Pacific beaches, have a large influx of tourists in this summer period.
The official report indicates that there are 14 ships and five helicopters working in the Valparaíso area to fight the flames.
Since 2017, Chile has been hit by severe forest fires, many of them in populated areas and in the Valparaíso region, where prolonged drought, rising temperatures, human negligence, unplanned construction and unlicensed sites have created a perfect platform for these incidents.
Source: Clarin
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