State of emergency in Chile due to fires in Valparaíso
State of emergency in Chile due to fires in Valparaíso due to fires in Valparaíso, which, to date, have left around 19 dead and nearly a thousand homes affected.
The state of emergency in Chile due to fires follows a summer heatwave combined with drought and the effects of ‘El Niño,’ triggering a series of fires in Chile that have already claimed 10 lives.
Chile declared a state of emergency last Friday, February 2nd, due to fires threatening hundreds of homes in the forests of the Valparaiso region.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric decreed the state of emergency in Chile to secure the necessary resources and combat the fires that have already claimed the lives of 19 people.
Active fires are concentrated in the tourist regions of Viña del Mar and Valparaíso, where they have already devastated hundreds of hectares of forest and forced evacuations of more than 200 homes. A curfew has been imposed in four communes.
The fires are being fueled by the summer heatwave and drought affecting the southern part of South America due to the El Niño effect, which has left its mark in recent years.
Chile and Colombia are the most affected countries at the moment by these temperature increases, but the heatwave will advance towards Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil in the coming days.
The state of emergency in Chile due to fires in Valparaíso also comes with the beginning of a curfew in 4 communes.
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State of emergency Chile
The presidential delegate for Valparaíso, Sofía González, provided an update on the fires affecting different communes in the area, where four of them are under curfew until noon.
After the state of emergency in Chile due to fires in Valparaíso, it is known that there are two very active fires currently being fought, mainly affecting the commune of Viña del Mar and also the communes of Quilpué and Villa Alemana.
Regarding the victims and people reported as missing, González said, “We will have clearer information around 09:30. We are about to start a new regional coordination grid that will allow us to consolidate this information.”
The state of emergency in Chile due to fires in Valparaíso has created a complex situation in the southern nation.
It is worth mentioning that, through its official channels, Carabineros reported that due to the curfew implemented in the communes of Limache, Quilpué, Villa Alemana, and Viña del Mar, for today, Saturday, February 3rd, between 08:00 and 12:00, the Individual Safe Conduct is available to allow movement via the Virtual Police Station.
On Friday, there were five simultaneous fire outbreaks throughout the day.
Almost 100% of the fires in the Valparaíso region have some connection to human activity, either intentionally or through negligence, according to authorities.
A particular case in this regard occurred on Friday when three palm trees in the center of Viña del Mar caught fire. These were three ornamental trees that, for reasons unknown at the moment, began to burn shortly before 5 am, at the intersection of 1 Norte street with Puente Ecuador, one block from the city’s casino.
The distance of the area from the hills of Viña del Mar, where the fires have concentrated so far, raised doubts among many listeners regarding the origin of the fire, triggering reports of possible intentional acts.
