At least 51 people died Saturday in wildfires in central Chile as emergency services battled a blaze that threatened an urban area.
Officials say the death toll is expected to continue rising. Interior Minister Carolina Toha said there was information suggesting the region would “reach even higher numbers” in the coming hours. Toha said 92 forest fires were burning in the central and southern parts of the country.
Black smoke filled the sky across much of the Valparaiso region as firefighters battled the blaze using helicopters and trucks. The Valparaiso region was the hardest hit by the fire, where thousands of people were urged to evacuate their homes. Toha said four hospitals and three nursing homes in the Valparaiso area had to be evacuated.
Toha said three evacuation centers were set up in the Valparaiso area and 19 helicopters and more than 450 firefighters were on the scene to fight the fire.
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Residents evacuate on motorcycles as smoke from forest fires fills the sky and flames spread in Vina del Mar, Chile, Saturday, February 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
Chilean officials said areas around the coastal tourist city of Viña del Mar were some of the areas hardest hit by the fire, and rescue teams were struggling to reach all affected areas. The fire was burning in difficult-to-reach mountains, including areas built on the edge of Viña del Mar.
Several blocks of homes and businesses were destroyed in Villa Independencia, a hillside neighborhood on the eastern edge of Viña del Mar. Burnt cars with broken windows and covered in ash were seen on the road.
“The situation in Valparaiso is the most delicate,” Toja said, noting that it was the country’s worst disaster since the 2010 earthquake that killed about 500 people.
President Gabriel Boric told the nation in a televised address that the situation was “really very difficult.”
A burnt car lies on the road after a forest fire broke out in the Villa Independencia neighborhood in Vina del Mar, Chile, Saturday, February 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
“If you are told to evacuate, do not hesitate to evacuate.” “The fire is progressing rapidly and weather conditions are making it difficult to control the fire: high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity.”
At least 1,100 homes were destroyed in the fire, officials said.
The fire also destroyed two bus terminals, and authorities reported power outages due to the fire.
Wildfires are not uncommon in Chile during the summer. Last year’s record heat wave killed more than 25 people and affected more than 400,000 hectares (990,000 acres).
“The area where the fire broke out today is much smaller than last year; [but] The number of hectares affected at the moment is rapidly increasing,” Toha said.
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A firefighter runs through a front yard as a building goes up in flames on Saturday, February 3, 2024 in Vina del Mar, Chile. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)
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From Friday to Saturday, the area affected by wildfires increased from 30,000 hectares to 43,000 hectares (110,000 acres).
Toha said the biggest concern is that some of the ongoing fires are occurring very close to urban areas and are “very likely to impact people, homes and facilities.” Stated.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
