In the last few hours, security agents arrested two individuals in the Chilean city of Viña del Mar for their alleged responsibility in starting the chain of forest fires that have devastated the surroundings of this town and its neighbor Valparaiso and so far they have caused more than 110 deaths and thousands of victims.
(You can read: Forest fires in Chile: a drone records the destruction left by the flames)
According to the head of National Defense in the provinces of Valparaíso and Marga Marga, Rear Admiral Daniel Muñoz, he explained that the suspects were arrested after the curfew decreed this Sunday after being sighted from a helicopter in the surroundings of the Botanical Garden, which was completely destroyed.
After the arrest was confirmed, The Chilean authorities have once again called for collaboration but also for prudence and to report before taking the law into their own hands and making mistakes.such as the attempted lynching of a man last Saturday, whom neighbors mistakenly believed was carrying fire accelerant.
(Also: Nicolás Maduro expresses solidarity with Chile for the fires and offers Venezuela's help)
The President of the Republic, Gabriel Boric, assured this Sunday that This is the biggest tragedy that Chile has suffered since the deadly earthquake of 2010.
Fires in Chile leave at least 112 dead.
EFE/ Adriana Thomasa
More than 110 dead
The number of deaths in the devastating fires that hit the region of Valparaíso, 100 kilometers west of Santiago, increased to 112, of which only 32 have been identified. The Chilean Undersecretary of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve, reported this Sunday night.
After the meeting of the Disaster Risk Management Committee (Cogrid), based on the latest data collected by the Legal Medical Service (SML), Monsalve detailed that there would be a total of almost 40,000 people affected by the destruction of homes – be it complete or of lesser intensity.
(Also read: Fires in Chile do not give a truce: more than 100 dead and missing confirmed)
According to the official projection, which has yet to be verified on the ground, In Viña del Mar, up to 12,122 homes would be affected, while in Quilpué, another of the epicenters of the fire, there would be 2,700..
Monsalve confirmed that the weather conditions are expected to remain the same to facilitate extinction efforts: “The main change is that we are going to stop having extreme conditions, high temperatures will remain, but not extreme, and we will have cloudiness in the mornings, which is more favorable for fire control,” he explained.
(You can read: Bus driver crosses ravenous fire and saves passengers in Chile: 'I felt very scared')
The forecasts indicate that, if the weather and the work continue, the largest outbreak, that of the Lago Peñuelas/Las Tablas Reserve, next to the main highway in the area, which has already burned about 8,500 hectares, and that of Lo Moscoso, in Quilpué, with 1,550 hectares burned, could be controlled during the next few days.
“There is no imminent risk to people's lives, but they are active and work continues,” Monsalve added.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric (center) speaking with residents of Quilpue affected by forest fires in Viña del Mar, Chile.
Marcelo Segura. AFP
There is no imminent risk to people's lives, but they are active and work continues.
The Government decided to advance the curfew from 6 pm local time (4 pm in Colombia) in the sectors that have not yet been evacuated from the towns of Quilpué, Villa Alemana, Limache and Viña del Mar, a measure that seeks to facilitate the rescue work and clear evacuation routes.
Due to the simultaneity of the fires and the place where they started, Authorities believe several fires could have been intentionally set..
(Also: Chile faces its biggest emergency since 2010 and prepares for another night under fire)
“It is difficult to think that there could be such miserable and heartless people capable of generating so much death and pain, but if these people exist we are going to look for them, we are going to find them and they will have to face the rejection not only of the entire society but also of everyone. the weight of the right and the law,” said Boric this Sunday, who decreed two days of national mourning starting on Monday.
According to the balance provided by Monsalve, There are 165 fires recorded in the country, 11 more than on Saturday, of which 40 are still in combat, 112 are controlled and four are extinguished.
Although there are fires of lower intensity in practically all the regions of the center and south of the country, this Sunday afternoon the alarms went off due to a forest fire in the commune of Galvarino, in the southern region of La Araucanía, which, according to the undersecretary , so far it has burned 10 hectares and has required the evacuation of residents of the area.
(In other news: Chile faces its biggest emergency since 2010 and prepares for another night under fire)
“There is an impact on agricultural land, but there is no impact on houses at this time,” the authority said about this new focus.
“Fire fighting is being carried out in different places in Chile. There is no place that will be left unprotected,” he concluded.
EFE
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