A series of fierce Chile Forest Fires have swept across the nation, claiming 112 lives so far and leaving hundreds missing. This disaster is being termed as Chile’s worst since the 2010 earthquake.
The fires, which began gathering momentum last Friday, have razed entire neighborhoods to the ground. Drone footage reveals the extent of the damage, with burnt-out cars littering the streets and residents rummaging through the remains of their homes.
Pedro Quezada, a local builder in the Valparaiso region, described the situation as, “The wind was terrible, the heat scorching. There was no respite. People dispersed everywhere.”
The cities of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, popular tourist destinations located on the coast west of the capital Santiago, are currently on high alert as the fires continue to spread. These cities are home to over a million residents, many of whom have been forced to evacuate their homes.
The Chilean authorities have introduced a 9 p.m. curfew in the hardest-hit areas and have called in the military to assist the firefighters. Helicopters have also been deployed to douse the flames from the air. Despite these efforts, the fires continue to rage.
President Gabriel Boric addressed the nation in a televised speech, saying, “It is Chile as a whole that suffers and mourns our dead. We are facing a tragedy of very great magnitude.”
Deputy Interior Minister Manuel Monsalve revealed that 165 fires are currently raging across Chile, with an estimated 14,000 homes damaged in the Vina del Mar and Quilpué areas alone.
Sergio Espejo, a welder who lost his soldering workshop and home in the Vina del Mar region, lamented the loss of his life’s work, saying, “Here is my workshop, it’s totally destroyed. All the sacrifice, all in a lifetime.”
The severity of these fires is unprecedented, even for a country accustomed to wildfires during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer. Last year, a record heatwave resulted in the death of 27 people and affected over 400,000 hectares of land. However, the current fires have already far surpassed these figures, making them the deadliest since the 2010 earthquake, which claimed about 500 lives.
As the nation continues to battle the fires, President Boric has pledged to channel funds to the hardest-hit areas. As Chile faces this devastating crisis, the world watches and hopes for a swift end to the fires.
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