By -
The Associated Press
The Chilean city of Viña del Mar woke up this Friday with images of desolation due to a large fire that affected towns in that area.
The balance at the moment is two dead, 30 injured and 130 houses destroyed, according to the most recent balance of the authorities.
The president, Gabriel Boric, suspended all his activities planned for the day and decreed a state of emergency due to a catastrophe in the place, which allows
mobilizing all resources to help fight the fire
and attend to the hundreds of victims.
The president planned to travel to the area during the day.
More than 6,000 people are without electricity
, reported the Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve.
The fire broke out quickly on Thursday afternoon and progressed overnight.
A plane drops water on the fire in Viña del Mar, Chile, on December 23, 2022. Matias Basualdo / AP
“The fire was enveloping and in a matter of minutes it changed due to the direction of the wind.
Here it was hell, unbearable heat, the soles of your feet burned, everything," Alejandra Lastiva told the news channel TVN from the area of the fire.
"There was nothing left inside, we literally kept what we were wearing," said Lastiva, referring to the fact that he lost his house.
The fire also affected residences of other relatives who lived around them.
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A man watches the flames that devoured a neighborhood of 200 houses in Viña del Mar, Chile, on December 23, 2022. Matias Basualdo / AP
Firefighters from the center of the country were moving to help contain the fire that was favored by strong winds at night, humid conditions and high temperatures experienced in Chile in December.
The flames and the voracious tongues of fire of the night gave way in the morning with the light to
a desolate landscape, a sea of iron, dry branches, twisted roofs
and tangled junk in many towns and high-rise sectors of the city, of humble origin , which were completely destroyed.
At the moment there are several active sources and there are places where the authorities cannot access to carry out the catrasto until the fire is completely extinguished.
The authorities estimate that there are between 200 and 500 houses affected by the fire and are currently working to identify the infrastructure and number of people affected.
Drones will be used to assess the damage, investigate the causes of the origin of the fire, and monitor the situation at the site, Interior Minister Carolina Tohá reported.
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The fire
allegedly started in forest areas of native forests
in the upper part of the city to quickly affect irregular settlements in the upper sectors of the ravines and hills where houses made of light materials proliferate that catch fire quickly and on slopes where garbage accumulates. according to the authorities.
From there it spread rapidly to other sectors of the spa city, which at this time receives a floating population that goes to the sea from the capital Santiago and other parts of the country.
According to the authorities, the affected housing sectors are the population of Puerto Montt, Puerto Aysén, 7 Hermanas and Viña del Mar Alto and the Michelle Bachelet and Felipe Camiroaga camps.