- Tweeter
republish
Tuesday, December 24, the red alert was decreed in the Valparaiso region of Chile. A violent fire affected at least 150 homes in this port city. During Christmas night, the Chilean authorities claimed that the fire was contained, but not completely under control.
The Christmas Eve was very sad for the inhabitants of Valparaiso, this Chilean city listed as World Heritage by Unesco. The fire first started on two hills which overlook the port city. A huge plume of black smoke was visible from Tuesday, December 24 in the afternoon. The maquis first caught fire. Then, fanned by the wind, the flames spread to residential areas.
A hundred homes destroyed
Over a hundred sheet metal and wood houses, typical of this city, burned down. The firefighters also had to destroy some of them to create fire corridors. More than 500 firefighters from all over Chile were mobilized, along with four planes and 10 helicopters, to fight the flames.
There are no injuries or missing people, authorities say, but around 90,000 people were without power overnight. The affected families were able to find refuge within the walls of two schools requisitioned by the town hall.
►Also listen: International Report - Chile: the exploitation of lithium mines has a negative impact on the environment
An investigation is underway to determine the causes of this fire. Nothing is sure, but the prefect of the region favored this Tuesday the track of an intentional act.
It is not the first time that Valparaiso has suffered fires of such magnitude. In 2014, a gigantic fire ravaged the second city of Chile . And more recently, more than 500 hectares had already gone up in smoke in November 2019.