Piñera announces aid plan for families affected by forest fires in Valparaíso

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(CNN Spanish) - The president of Chile, Sebastian Piñera, arrived Thursday in Valparaíso, an area affected by forest fires, where he presented an aid plan for the affected families.

As of Monday of next week, bonuses will be given to families who lost their properties due to the fires so that they can recover them, as well as housing subsidies that will be delivered in the first months of 2020.

MIRA: Investigate whether fires in Valparaíso, Chile, were intentional

The president also announced that some homes will be rebuilt at the beginning of next year, specifically, those that are not in a forest fire risk zone.

Piñera, accompanied by local authorities, announced that the fires have been controlled and that they are currently working on extinguishing them completely.

The president also referred to the possibility that the fires were intentional. "If that were the case, it would be extraordinarily serious," Piñera said and said the competent authorities carry out the investigation.

LOOK: Fires in Valparaíso could have been caused, authorities say

"We feel their pain and tragedy as if it were ours and we are working to make solutions come soon," said the president.

FireValparaíso