Rampant forest fires have devastated the coastal hills of central Chile, claiming dozens of lives and hundreds of people reported missing. Thousands of homes were destroyed, mostly in hilly neighborhoods around the resort town of Viña del Mar, where many elderly residents were unable to escape. The fires broke out Friday amid unusually hot weather and strong winds.
“We are facing a tragedy of immense proportions,” President Gabriel Boric said Sunday, as survivors tried to comprehend their losses. He announced that the nation will observe two days of mourning.
Sunday
Firefighters working on small fires in a botanical garden in Viña del Mar.
Cars burned in El Olivar, in the Valparaiso region.
Francisca Espejo, injured in the eyes due to the fires, hugs her daughter in Viña del Mar.
Residents cleaning up debris in Viña del Mar.
Uberlinda Silva, 72, in her burned home in El Olivar.
The consequences of the fire in the botanical garden of Viña del Mar.
Saturday
A man tried to put out a fire in Quilpe, in the Valparaiso region.
The body of a fire victim in Viña del Mar.
The fires broke out while many were on summer vacation in Viña del Mar.
A helicopter fights forest fires in the Quilpe hills.
Animal rescue on the hills of Quilpe.
Residents observing burned vehicles in Viña del Mar.
Friday
The view from Viña del Mar the day the fires started.
Cars and houses on fire in Viña del Mar.
Residents evacuating their homes in Viña del Mar.
Valparaiso residents watch the fires sweep through nearby Viña del Mar.
