The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, announced this Saturday from the O'higgins room of the Palacio de La Moneda that the serious forest fires that are ravaging the central-southern area of the country have already left at least 46 dead.
“I have confirmation of 40 people who died during the fires and six additional people in hospital facilities as a result of burns,” the president said about the conflagration that mainly affects the region of Valparaíso and cities such as Viña del Mar and Quilpué.
Boric has assured in his message that “the number of victims will increase in the coming hours.”
The Government had reported 19 deaths in the morning, concentrated in Villa Independencia in the Achupallas sector in Viña del Mar.
Boric expressed condolences to family, friends and loved ones of the victims.
He sent a “big hug” to those who lost their home and thanked “deeply those who are giving the best of themselves to combat this tragedy,” especially the Firefighters, brigade members of the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), Carabineros, the personnel of Armed Forces, health workers, municipal workers and public officials, “in addition to civil society that always rises up in the face of tragedies of this type.”
The president stated that this tragedy could have been caused voluntarily.
“The possible intention behind these fires is being investigated and although it is difficult to imagine who could be willing to cause so much tragedy and pain, know that it will be investigated to the last consequences and with all the necessary resources,” added the president.
The area of the incident is monitored by the Armed Forces and Carabineros.
The president decreed a state of emergency on Friday due to the catastrophe, which will allow his Government to "have all the necessary resources" to combat the emergency and help families.
He has instructed the Ministry of Defense to deploy more military units in the affected areas and called on the population to follow the instructions of the corresponding authorities so as not to hinder the rescue and firefighting missions.
As announced, the Government establishes a curfew from 9:00 p.m. on Saturday to 10:00 a.m. on Sunday in four municipalities, as on the previous day: Limache, Quilpué, Villa Alemana and Viña del Mar. “It is essential to guarantee public order and the safety of our compatriots.
We will use all available constitutional tools to guarantee security and tranquility,” Boric said.
A resident flees from a forest fire in Viña del Mar.Esteban Felix (AP)
Boric assured that the curfew will help clear the routes for emergency vehicles to arrive, will facilitate evacuations and, incidentally, will contribute “to ensuring that there is no one loitering in the places where the decision to evacuate is made,” he said in reference to the looting that has already been reported in municipalities such as Quilpué.
The fire, which affects the central-southern area of Chile, has already burned at least 43,000 hectares in the Valparaíso region, according to the balance sheet this Saturday morning.
It has gotten out of control in Viña del Mar. The Fire Commander of this city, Patricio Brito, has assured that the emergency “became very complicated” this Saturday.
“Right now we have chaos,” he admitted, later expressing that the available units are not enough to control the flames.
Reinforcements have arrived from other regions, he said, but these are not enough.
“We have many burned houses plus factories,” he said in reference to explosions such as the one at the Tricolor paint factory, in the industrial sector of Viña del Mar.
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