Fires in Chile: dozens dead, striking images

Large-scale fires have been hitting Chile since Friday February 2 in the south and center of the country. An initial report shows at least 100 people dead.

Since Friday, February 2, the south and center of Chile have been devastated by flames. 116 km à West of Santiago, in the center of the Latin American country, is particularly affected. Yesterday, Sunday, February 4, the spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior, Manuel Monsalve, declared: during a press conference that there were “112 people killed, 32 bodies identified' s". 

For his part, Chilean President Gabriel Boric speaks of "the greatest tragedy" what Chile has experienced since the earthquake and tsunami of 2010 which left more than 500 dead. two days of national mourning &agrav; starting this Monday, February 5. According to the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred), around 1,400 firefighters and 1,300 soldiers and volunteers are mobilized. ;eacutes this Monday to fight against the fires which continue to rage this Monday after three consecutive days.

The fire that has hit Chile since Friday has caused significant damage and the toll is expected to rise further in the coming days. According to a report from the Ministry of the Interior published this Saturday, around 43,000 hectares have been destroyed. ravaged throughout the country. A team from the AFP presents to Quilpué &agrav; The west of Santiago tells of entire neighborhoods ravaged by flames. The governor of the Valparaiso region, Rodrigo Mundaca, and the mayor of the seaside resort of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti, announced that hundreds of people remain missing. 

As Le Figaro indicates, the most devastating fire in the region took place in the region. Las Tablas and is still ongoing. According to the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Toha, the fire "covers a periodé be 80 km". The minister also announcedé that the weather situation begins to worsen. play in favor of relief because "current conditions are more conducive to the care of victims and à fire control. According to Le Monde, around forty fires were still active on Sunday evening.

For the governor of the Valparaiso region there is no doubt about the origin of the fire. As reported by Le Monde, Rodrigo Mundaca declared: that the fire would be intentional, he however clarified that : "We don't know if these are organized groups or arsonists, it will be up to justice to determine it. An investigation was carried out into the matter. opened in order to determine the origin of the fire.

If the human and environmental toll are so heavy, this can be explained by the density of the population. population of the Valparaiso region which is also home to numerous forests and plant areas. Since the region was quite precarious, they were destroyed. quickly devastated. Miguel Castillo, forest engineer at university from Chile, explains to Le Monde that the fire started in in contact with different types of fuels: "landfills, shrubs, wooden and fiber cement houses in working-class neighborhoods". He then addedé that the mixed character of this territory "makes the fight against the flames very difficult". 

Other factors also allowed this to happen. the fire to spread quickly. Chile is in the grip of à a heat wave in the capital, Santiago, and in the center with temperatures close to 40°C. A phenomenon that results in both climate change and the presence of the natural phenomenon El Niño. This climatic phenomenon is responsible for an increase in temperature in the Pacific Ocean and particularly off the coast of the Am' Southern and Central America.