As feared, the number of deaths following the forest fires in Chile has continued to rise. The country is in national mourning. Two suspected arsonists were arrested and the search for missing people is ongoing.
After the forest fires in Chile, there are images of destruction in many places. The number of deaths rose to more than 120. Victims were difficult to identify, said Marisol Prado from Chile’s forensic medical service. The first of two days of national mourning began in memory of those affected. Hundreds of people were still missing.
The forestry department registered 180 fires across the country, covering a total area of more than 29,000 hectares. Around 15,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, more than 12,000 in Viña del Mar alone, said Interior Ministry State Secretary Manuel Monsalve. Aid will be accepted in all areas, including illegal settlements, said Social Affairs Minister Javiera Toro.
Forest fires in Chile
Between fires and rubble
Chilean President Gabriel Boric documented a minute of silence by the National Security Council on X.
Marco Delgadillo’s house in Viña del Mar, which was particularly affected, was badly damaged.
Two suspected arsonists arrested
Fires on the eastern outskirts of Viña del Mars appeared to be subsiding after raging fiercely since Friday. In the resort, the fire destroyed the entire botanical garden, which hosts an annual music festival. “We are increasing our air and land patrols,” said local military chief Rear Admiral Daniel Muñoz. Two suspected arsonists were arrested.
The mayor of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti, demanded: “We need legal reforms so that no more construction takes place in risk areas.” According to the city government, at least 370 people were missing there.
The towns of Quilpé and Villa Alemana in the Valparaíso region were severely affected. President Boric announced on Sunday that at least 3,000 houses had burned down in the area.
Suspected to be related to El Niño
In summer in the southern hemisphere, serious forest fires occur again and again in Chile. Last year, a total of more than 425,000 hectares of land burned in the center and south of Chile – this corresponds to around eight times the area of Lake Constance.
Several regions in Chile are currently affected by a heat wave. Scientists attribute much of the heat to the cyclical El Niño weather phenomenon that is warming the Pacific Ocean.