At least 19 people have died in the Chilean seaside resort of Vina del Mar due to fires in the Valparaiso region (western Chile) and other parts of the center and south of the country, the interior minister announced on Saturday, February 3. Carolina Toha. “There are 19 dead (…). All the bodies have been recovered”, she said, 15 victims were identified. The fire also forced evacuations.
In one sector of Viña del Mar, 19 deaths were counted, but the minister warned that the toll could rise. This assessment “Too tentative”, as emergency services have not yet reached other areas ravaged by the fire, she declared. The minister reported 92 active fires, of which 40 are under control, and 43,000 hectares have burned.
“Fires in the Valparaiso region are a priority due to their proximity to urban areas. There are many, but two are the most worrisome.”, she detailed that it was from Las Tablas, with 6,800 hectares burned, and from Lo Moscoso, in Quilpue, with 1,150 hectares calcined. These are areas located between 80 and 120 km northwest of Santiago, rich in wine, agriculture and forestry businesses. Due to their proximity to the Pacific coast, they experience an influx of tourists during this period of austral summer.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of emergency “All the necessary tools are there” Cope with fire progress. 14 ships and five helicopters were mobilized to fight the fire.
As of Wednesday, temperatures in central Chile and the capital Santiago have hovered near 40 degrees Celsius. “These episodes are becoming more and more frequent, which is why we see historical temperature records every year.”National Forestry Company (or Konaf, for Corporation National Forestl).
This heatwave is a result of the El Niño climate phenomenon currently affecting the southern cone of Latin America in mid-summer, which has made wildfires worse due to global warming. After Chile and Colombia, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil are threatened with a heat wave in the coming days.
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