Chile's forest fire destroys over 2,000 homes
A raging fire leaped from hilltop to hilltop in this colorful Chilean port city and stubbornly burned out of control in places more than 24 hours later, killing 12 people and destroying at least 2,000 homes.- Some people returned home Sunday to discover total destruction. Thick clouds of smoke surrounded the city prison, where nine pregnant inmates were transferred to a detention facility in the nearby city of Quillota. Another 204 female inmates were
- With so many hills aflame, water was in short supply even in established neighborhoods downhill. A water emergency was declared, cutting off non-essential supplies. Shelters were overflowing. Bachelet toured some and announced that on Monday she
- Water trucks and firefighters were stuck downhill as people abandoned their vehicles and ran. Some carried television sets and others took canisters of natural gas, fearing an explosion if flames reached their homes.
- Los Angeles County firefighters battle a fire at an apartment building under construction next to the Harbor CA-110 Freeway in Los Angeles. (Photo: AP)
- Unfortunately, many homes in densely populated poorer areas above the city center have been built without proper water or natural gas supplies, and many streets are too narrow for fire trucks to enter.
- Valparaiso has a vibrant port and is home to Chile's national legislature, but it owes its status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site to its colorful architecture, with neighborhoods hugging hills so steep that people use staircases and cable cars to
- The fires were contained to the hills, but Bachelet declared the entire city a catastrophe zone, putting Chile's military in charge of maintaining order. While 1,250 firefighters, police and forest rangers battled the blaze, 2,000 Chilean sailors in
- It was already the worst fire to hit the picturesque seaside city of 250,000 people since 1953, when 50 people were killed and every structure was destroyed on several of the city's hills.
- Authorities warned that the toll could rise once the fires cool enough for them to search for bodies. Patricio Bustos, who directs the national forensics service, said DNA tests would be needed to identify some of the remains. More than 500 people
- It's a tremendous tragedy. This could be the worst fire in the city's history," President Michelle Bachelet said as 20 helicopters and planes dropped water on hotspots. The fire destroyed at least 2,000 houses by Sunday evening, and the death toll
- Eventually, neighborhoods on six hilltops were reduced to ashes, including one hill several blocks from Chile's parliament building. Flames later broke out again on at least two of those hills, burning out of control and threatening to consume other
- The blaze began Saturday afternoon in a forested ravine next to ramshackle housing on one of Valparaiso's 42 hilltops, and spread quickly as hot ash rained down over wooden houses and narrow streets that lack municipal water systems. Electricity
- Castro said Saturday night that "Valparaiso is without electricity at the moment and this means the flame column is creating a Dante-esque panorama and is advancing in an apparently uncontrollable manner." With hot dry winds stoking the embers, some
- Valparaiso Mayor Jorge Castro told Chile's National Television that while there have been no deaths or serious injuries, some people are being choked by the smoke. He said refuges for those forced to flee the fire have been set up.
- President Michelle Bachelet has declared the port city a catastrophe zone, which puts the Armed Forces in charge of maintaining order and evacuating thousands of people affected by the smoke and flames. More than 200 female inmates at a prison were
A raging fire leaped from hilltop to hilltop in this colorful Chilean port city and stubbornly burned out of control in places more than 24 hours later, killing 12 people and destroying at least 2,000 homes.
Chile's forest fire destroys over 2,000 homes
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