Thousands of people walked through the smoke and returned to their homes, which had been destroyed by the “destruction.”Fires “unprecedented” that killed 19 people and affected Viña del Mar, Valparaíso and other regions in the center and south chili.
“We were left with nothing from one minute to the next,” sobs Luis Vial, a 69-year-old pensioner, in front of his house that went up in flames in Villa Independencia, a flame-ravaged district of Viña del Mar Dusk on Friday.
Rows of charred vehicles can be seen in front of the destroyed houses and buildings. “I’m not asking for money, I’m asking you to help me get my house back,” Vial shouts.
Supported by helicopters and planes, firefighters and volunteers are fighting the flames in the hills of various parts of the country, which are exposed to high temperatures in midsummer.
In Villa Independencia alone, “19 people died (…), all the bodies have been recovered,” said Interior Minister Carolina Tohá, presenting a report that, she warned, could increase in the coming hours.
Fifteen of the victims have already been identified, including a minor under the age of 17, the official said. There are no reports of people being evacuated yet.
By midday on Saturday, 92 fires had been recorded, 40 of which had already been brought under control, while brigades battled 29 outbreaks. The fire destroyed around 43,000 hectares in the country.
“Due to its proximity to urban areas, the fires in the Valparaíso region are a priority. There are basically several fires there, but two are of greater concern,” Tohá explained.
Fire between hills and sea
The hardest-hit areas are near the Pacific beaches, 80 and 120 km northwest of Santiago, where wine, agriculture and timber companies operate.
This season it also receives a large number of tourists.
Several municipalities in the Valparaíso and Viña del Mar regions were under curfew, a measure ordered by the government for a few hours to facilitate the evacuation of residents and the work of emergency teams.
As a result of the emergency, Chile’s President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency on Friday in order to have “all the necessary resources” to extinguish the flames.
According to official information, there were strong forest fires in the same Valparaíso region in December 2022, most of which were caused intentionally.
The fire is also spreading quickly due to construction work in unauthorized areas.
“Without precedent”
The mayor of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti, was surprised by the extent of the fires.
“We are facing an unprecedented disaster, a situation of this magnitude has never existed in the Valparaíso region, there are more than five simultaneous outbreaks and the most affected sector is once again Viña del Mar,” he noted.
Routes to these Pacific beaches were closed after noon on Friday, and several fire outbreaks spread very quickly, burning populated areas where alternative routes collapsed for thousands of people trying to evacuate.
According to a report by the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), the largest forest fire is in the Lago Peñuelas Nature Reserve, next to the main road into the area, which has burned more than 7,000 hectares.
The second worst fire occurred in La Aguada, municipality of La Estrella, O’Higgins region, in the center of the country, destroying 4,084 hectares.
A heat wave with maximum temperatures is currently sweeping the South American Cone, where the natural climate phenomenon El Niño is being exacerbated by global warming caused by human activities, according to experts.
Warnings of persistent oppressive heat are in effect for areas in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil as well as Chile from this week and next.
SPRING: AFP