The alarms went off in several cities in
Chile
due to the multiple
fires that broke out simultaneously
during Friday night and which have already caused at least
19 deaths
.
The authorities declared
a curfew in Viña del Mar and other
tourist cities.
The uncontrolled fire largely affected the Valparaíso region, 100 kilometers east of Santiago.
"The balance of fatalities is very provisional. They are all from the same sector, Villa Independencia, in the Achupallas sector," the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá, announced at a press conference.
"There are other areas of the fire where we still do not have confirmed data. So far there are 19 people dead, of which 15 have been identified," he said.
The fire, which is not yet controlled, destroyed thousands of homes in different towns in the region, where President Gabriel Boric decreed a
catastrophe
curfew to be able to mobilize the necessary resources to face the emergency.
It applies to the communes of Limache, Quilpué, Villa Alemana and Viña del Mar.
News in development.
D.S.