Chile seeks to rise from the ashes after fires that leave 122 dead

Thousands of people try to rise from the ashes in the hills of Viña del Mar, in the region of Valparaiso in central Chile, hit by one of the deadliest forest fires of the 21st century, with an updated toll this Monday of 122 dead and more than a hundred missing.

The violent fires on Friday left residents of Quilpué and Villa Independencia, one of the most populated areas of that region, about 120 km northwest of Santiago, without electricity, water, and under a cloud of smoke.

“I still have a lump in my throat and not so much because of the material things (…) I lost several neighbor friends nearby, four more up there. “That’s what hurts the most.” lamented Hugo de Filippi, a 34-year-old car mechanic, moved by the help of neighbors and students to clean a sector with streets blocked by charred debris and still smelling of smoke.

In Viña del Mar, residents mobilized throughout the day bringing water, clothing, and food to the areas hardest hit by the flames. With shovels and brooms, families and groups of friends ascended the hills to carry out cleaning brigades.

“There is no explanation. This is really a disaster. Last year we were affected by a Forest fire, and this is six times worse. “Today we are removing debris (…) later we will take what is missing house to house,” said Camila Pérez, 23, who organized with her father, her partner and brothers to provide help in El Olivar.

The traffic worsened with the arrival of volunteers, people who want to help families and assist pets. Firefighters and official teams are also working to search for victims in burned sites.

In the middle of the southern summer, this beach area has a large part of its hotels without employees because they have been affected by the catastrophe, which has left a trail of hills with burned houses and narrow roads covered with vehicles that until now are unknown if they were parked or whether they were occupied by people who tried to evacuate.

The latest balance on Monday raised the death toll to 122, of which only 32 have been identified, reported a statement from the Legal Medical Service (SML).

Searching for victims

The authorities have reiterated that the work is difficult “of lifting bodies” because until Sunday there were places with fire outbreaks nearby, but also because there are charred houses and vehicles.

“There are 190 missing in Viña del Mar”said the city’s mayor, Macarena Ripamonti, who added that 20,000 residents were affected.

This Monday, a night curfew was implemented again, between 9:00 p.m. (00:00 GMT) and 5:00 a.m. (08:00 GMT) on Tuesday, to facilitate the work of forensic doctors, the cleaning of debris and to try to restore some public services.

Even without figures of people who lost homes, there are already almost 15,000 damaged homes, reported the undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve.

Some outbreaks of the fires began on Wednesday, the same day that a heat wave was felt with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius, and on Friday afternoon they spread in a matter of hours.

The brutal fires are among the three deadliest of the 21st century, along with those in Australia in 2009 (179 deaths) and those in Hawaii in August 2023 (more than 100).

Active fires

Although weather conditions have improved, teams are still fighting at least 40 fires, with some outbreaks causing preventive evacuations north of Santiago, and in Galvarino, 400 km south of the capital, near a large region devastated by fire in February. from last year.

The most affected parts are in an area that has been overpopulated without planning for decades and where, due to its proximity to the Pacific coast and also to Santiago, middle class families and others live in precarious and poor settlements.

The high population density in difficult-to-access terrain, added to the prolonged drought in Chile and high temperatures, facilitated the spread of fires.

Both President Gabriel Boric and the Ministry of the Interior have already declared that they suspect that the fires were arson and promised to investigate until they find those responsible.

Pope Francis asked for prayers for the victims, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, expressed solidarity with Chile, while France, Spain, Mexico and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the European Union (EU), Josep Borrell, offered help. for this catastrophe that remembers “the ravages of the drought and the weather”said.

A heat wave is overwhelming the Southern American Cone these days, where the natural climate phenomenon of El Niño is exacerbated by global warming caused by human activity, according to specialists.