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At least 51 people have died in the fires that have already scorched nearly 43,000 hectares in Chile on Saturday, especially in the tourist region of Valparaiso, on the Pacific coast, which is suffering from high temperatures.
Forty people and six others were killed in the fires [sont mortes] Consequences of burns
President Gabriel Buric made the announcement after flying over the area in a helicopter. We know that these [chiffres] It will increase
.
It is an unprecedented disaster: the Valparaíso region has never seen a situation of this magnitude before
Macarena Ripamonti, mayor of the popular seaside resort of Viña del Mar, said she was particularly affected.
Violent winds fanned the flames and a cloud of black smoke covered the streets, where explosions continued, according to journalists from the area.France Press agency.
The authorities imposed a night curfew starting at nine in the evening, local time, in order to facilitate the supply of fuel to emergency teams. priority
According to Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve.
New calls for evacuation were launched, without being able to know how many residents remained in their homes.
In total, there were 92 active fires as of midday on Saturday, including 40 under control, most of them in the Valparaiso region but also in the center and south of the country, Interior Minister Carolina Toha announced.
According to the authorities, this series of fires is unprecedented.
Photo: Getty Images/Javier Torres
In the hills of Valparaiso, where the streets are filled with hundreds of charred cars, thousands of people were able to discover their destroyed homes on Saturday morning.
Luis Vial, a 69-year-old retiree, broke down in tears in front of the ruins of his house in the Vila Independencia area, where 19 victims were discovered: In one minute we lost everything
.
It was hell and explosions. I tried to help my neighbor turn off his car, and my house was starting to burn in the back. It was a rain of ash
said LFrance Press agency Rodrigo Bolgar, a driver who lost his home in El Olívar, one of the areas most devastated by the fire.
Firefighters have been fighting tirelessly since Friday against dozens of homes in the areas of Valparaiso and O'Higgins in the center, as well as in Maule, Biobio, La Araucanía and Los Lagos in the south.
The priority is the fires in the Valparaiso area, due to its proximity to urban areas
The Minister of Interior announced.
These areas are located between 80 and 120 kilometers northwest of Santiago and are rich in wine, agriculture and forestry industries.
An aerial view of the aftermath of a fire in the hills of Viña del Mar, Chile, February 3, 2024.
Photo: Getty Images/Javier Torres
President Buric declared a state of emergency on Friday in order to… We have all the necessary means
In the face of the development of fires. 14 ships and five helicopters were mobilized to fight the fires.
We received a cell phone alert and a rain of burning ash started falling
She had earlier confided in Yvonne Guzman, who contacted her by phoneFrance Press agency.
This 63-year-old woman, who left her home in the city of Quilboy, 90 kilometers northeast of Santiago, found herself stranded for several hours in her car, with her elderly mother-in-law, due to the large number of people. Like trying to escape from the flames.
Since Wednesday, the temperature has approached 40 degrees in central Chile and the capital, Santiago.
These episodes are becoming more and more frequent, which is why we see historical temperature records every year.
Pablo Lobos Stefani, in charge of fire protection at the Chilean National Forestry Office, explained to the Chilean branch of CNN, Pablo Lobos Stefani.
This heat wave caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon is currently affecting the southern cone of Latin America, in the middle of summer, causing forest fires that have been exacerbated by global warming.
After Chile and Colombia, a heat wave threatens Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil in the coming days.
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