Different fires recorded simultaneously in the central region of Valparaiso100 kilometers east of Santiagoleft several victims early this Saturday, and the Chilean president, Gabriel Boric, decreed a state of emergency by catastrophe to mobilize the necessary resources to face the emergency.
“We have preliminary information that there are indeed people who have died. We don't know how many. There is very preliminary information and we will not know until the first rays of sun of the day arrive to provide more precise information, indicated the governor of the region, Rodrigo Mundaca.
At first, the authorities reported at least 10 people missing – who could even have died -, But the situation at this time is very confusing because communications are interrupted and the various fires have not yet been controlled.
We are facing an unprecedented catastrophe (…) There are more than five simultaneous outbreaks
The Risk and Disaster Management Committee (Cogrid), which brings together different authorities and public institutions, was scheduled for early Saturday, but due to the seriousness of the events, its meeting was brought forward.
“We are facing an unprecedented catastrophe (…) There are more than five simultaneous outbreaks,” acknowledged the mayor of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti.
At the stroke of midnight, the president, Gabriel Boric, declared a state of emergency due to catastrophe in the Valparaíso region, which allows it to mobilize resources more quickly to put out the fires.
Photograph of firefighters working to put out a fire that started in the Peñuelas Lake nature reserve and has reached urban areas today, in Viña del Mar (Chile).
EFE/ Adriana Thomasa
“The situation of forest fires, especially in the fifth region, is very difficult due to the temperatures and winds, but know that we are deployed to the maximum of our capabilities to face the emergency,” added the president.
The fires coincide with one of the most intense heat waves in recent years, with temperatures that have reached 38 degrees Celsius in the central area.
Last year, Chile experienced the deadliest wave of fires in recent years, which left 27 people dead and thousands of homes destroyed in central-southern regions of the country, such as La Araucanía, Biobío and Ñuble.
Experts attribute this to an unusual increase in temperatures and the impact of a forestry model based on the monoculture of pine and eucalyptus.
Although Chile has experienced one of the rainiest winters in the last 15 years, specialists have been warning for months that the drought has not been eradicated and that there is a high probability that fine, dead vegetation will develop in the central-southern area. easy combustion.
EFE
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