At least 51 people have died in forest fires in Chile so far. The fires have been burning for several days, and are now also reaching densely populated areas. The Chilean President warned on Saturday evening of the possibility of more deaths.
Fires are burning in western Chile. The coastal region of Valparaiso was the most affected.
The Chilean authorities advised thousands of residents in the area to leave their homes before it is too late.
One problem is that firefighters have great difficulty reaching the affected area. Firefighters are trying to put out the fire with helicopters and dozens of fire engines. This can be seen in these photos taken by the Chilean fire brigade.
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Fires threaten more and more populated areas
According to the Chilean Interior Minister, there are currently 92 fires burning in the South American country. Some of them are close to densely populated areas.
Therefore, Chilean President Gabriel Buric called on residents in a television speech to listen to local authorities. “If you are asked to evacuate, do not hesitate to do so,” Buric said.
He added, “The fires are spreading quickly and the climatic conditions have made it difficult to control them. There are high temperatures, strong winds, and low humidity.”
Entire residential areas were turned into ashes
The fire has already destroyed at least one thousand and one hundred homes. The effect is clearly visible in the coastal city of Viña del Mar. The fire turned entire residential areas into ashes. Nothing remains of hundreds of homes.
Istiklal Villa is one of the affected neighborhoods. Burned cars covered in ash line the streets. “I have lived here for 32 years and I never thought this would happen,” Rolando Fernandez told the news agency. AP.
Fernandez is among the residents who lost their homes. On Friday afternoon, he saw a fire burning on a nearby hill. Within fifteen minutes, fire and smoke engulfed the entire area.
According to him, people had no choice but to flee and reach safety as quickly as possible. “I've worked for this all my life, and now I have nothing,” Fernandez said.
Nineteen shelters were established in the affected Valparaiso region. The fire was brought under control by deploying 450 firefighters and 19 helicopters. Chilean disaster organization Sinapred describes them as the deadliest fires in a decade.
0:38Chilean families flee a coastal town due to severe forest fires
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