Deadly fires are burning in parts of Chile and have killed over 100 people, according to officials on Sunday. They said the number of people who died will likely go up.
The Chilean emergency service said that at least 112 people have died. Authorities also confirmed that they have identified 32 bodies, performed 38 autopsies, and are prepared to deliver 10 bodies to their families.
Over the weekend, pictures and videos from the news agency showed the widespread damage caused by the fires in many different towns. A camera in the sky took pictures of lots of burnt cars and many houses completely destroyed by fire in El Olivar. A video from CNN showed the inside of a bus driving through ValparaÃÂso while fires were burning outside.
Right now, there are 161 fires burning in different parts of the country, according to the Chilean National Disaster Prevention and Response Service.
SENAPRED Director ÃÂlvaro Hormazábal said to media that firefighters have put out 102 fires but are still fighting 40 others. Nineteen fires are being watched right now, according to Hormazábal.
President Gabriel Boric said there’s a very big problem in coastal cities like Viña del Mar and Valparaiso and declared a state of emergency. These cities were filled with smoke. People in the middle of the city had to leave their homes. Boric talked to reporters after visiting the damaged areas and said he is worried that more people will die.
Boric said on TV that the defense department will send more soldiers to the places that need help, and they will have everything they need.
He announced that Monday and Tuesday will be national mourning days for the victims of the fire.
Scientists say that climate change and the El Nino weather pattern are causing the Earth to become warmer. This makes heatwaves and wildfires more likely to happen.
Fires are getting worse all over the world, showing us how the climate crisis is causing a lot of damage and affecting many people’s lives. It costs billions of dollars each year. And experts say that it will only get more serious. The UN Environment Programme said in a report published in 2022 that uncontrollable and devastating wildfires are now expected at certain times of the year in many places around the world.
According to a UN report, the amount of very bad wildfires will go up by 14% by 2030. By 2050, the rise will go up to 30%.
In Chile, fires are happening while the country is experiencing very hot weather in summer. The city of Santiago has been very hot for several days with temperatures rising above 33 degrees Celsius (91. 4°F)
Colombia had big fires and asked other countries for help.
Emergency teams in Chile are focusing on stopping the fires in the city of Valparaíso because it is close to residential areas. The local authorities said that 372 people from the area were said to be missing.
Valparaiso is a popular place for tourists in Chile. It is about 70 miles northwest of the capital city, Santiago. Valparaiso is famous for its colorful houses, beautiful hills, and old town.
Valeria Melipillán, who is in charge of Quilpué city in central Chile, said to media that the wildfires are “probably the biggest ever” in the region. Almost 1,400 homes in the town have been broken, the mayor of Melipillán said.
“Video shows how wildfires in Chile have caused a lot of damage. ”
Chile’s Finance Minister Mario Marcel said that the initial calculations show that the damages in the Valparaíso region will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Some people in the affected areas did not want to leave their homes, even though the evacuation was done well, according to local search and rescue officials.
Rodrigo Mundaca, who is in charge of Valparaiso, announced that curfews are in effect in Viña del Mar, Quilpué, Villa Alemana and Limache. This is so that the authorities can concentrate on fighting the fires.
Pope Francis, from Argentina, asked people to pray for the people who died or got hurt in the big fires in central Chile.
According to report, authorities have arrested at least one person in connection to the wildfires.
The man was doing welding work at his home in Talca, Chile when a fire started and spread to nearby grasslands, according to the police.
The person accused of a crime will go to court on Sunday in Talca, as announced by the Maule Prosecutor’s Office.
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Over 100 people killed in Chile’s fire
