Death toll from forest fires in Chile reaches 99

The number of deaths from fires in Chile rose to 99 this Sunday (4).

President Gabriel Boric said the numbers would grow “significantly” in the coming hours, as firefighters, soldiers and brigade members struggled to put out several fires in the center and south of the country.

Earlier, the Chilean National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) had reported 51 deaths, with 32 people identified by the government's Legal Medical Service (SML).

“Given the conditions of the tragedy, the number of victims will certainly increase in the coming hours,” Boric said.

Authorities said the tragedy is the worst since the powerful earthquake of 2010, which killed more than 500 people.

Most of the fire was spreading in the coastal region of Valparaíso, home to nearly a million people, and home to the headquarters of Congress and one of the country's main ports.

Likewise, the mayor of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti, said that there were also 372 people missing, although the information should be verified with the competent bodies, as she explained in statements to the press.

In total, the country has 161 fires, of which 102 have already been controlled, 40 are being fought and 19 are under observation, according to Álvaro Hormazábal, Senapred director.

The agency also reported that the damage affected many homes, 70% of which were part of lots and 30% of houses.

In addition, 15 shelters were set up and, as of Saturday night, there were 1,600 people in them.

The government reported damage to at least 1,300 homes and told reporters the numbers could rise as authorities move into hard-to-reach areas.

“We are together, all of us, fighting the emergency. The priority is to save lives,” Boric said in a message to the nation, adding that he had decided to maintain the curfew and reinforce the military presence in the most affected areas.

The president, who visited the affected region this Sunday, declared that Monday and Tuesday will be days of national mourning for the victims of the fire.

Curfew and state of emergency

President Boric declared a state of emergency for the provinces of Marga Marga and Valparaíso due to forest fires, the presidential delegate for the Valparaíso region, Sofía González Cortés, reported this Saturday.

A mandatory curfew was also established between 8am and noon in the municipalities of Limache, Villa Alemana, Quilpué and Viña del Mar with the aim of facilitating the deployment of emergency logistics and transport means.

On Friday, the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred) reported that Valparaíso and Marga Marga were placed on red alert due to three forest fires that until that moment had affected a total of around 565 hectares.

The most extensive fire, according to Friday's report, is the one developing in the Las Tablas complex and in the Lago Peñuelas reserve, in Valparaíso, where 480 hectares were affected, Senapred indicated in a newsletter.

The other two fires occur in Lo Moscoso, in the municipalities of Quilpé and Villa Alemana, where 80 hectares are affected, and on the Dos Locas road, also in Valparaíso, the damage amounts to 5 hectares.

Senapred reported that due to this situation, the evacuation of some sectors of the Villa Alemana commune was ordered.

Boric said on his account on the social network X (formerly Twitter) that government forces are mobilized to control the fires.

He also informed that he ordered the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá, to hold a meeting of the Risk and Disaster Management Committee (Cogrid).

Boric asked citizens to heed authorities' instructions and avoid exposing themselves to risks.

At least one person arrested in connection with fires

At least one person has been arrested so far in connection with the forest fires devastating parts of Chile, the agency said. CNN Chile affiliate of CNN on Saturday night, citing police.

According to police, the man was at his home in the city of Talca, in central Chile, doing welding work when a fire started accidentally and spread to nearby pastures, the police said. CNN Chile .

It is not known when the incident occurred.

Chile's forestry agency, the National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), and firefighters extinguished the fire, but around 2 hectares of land were burned.

No injuries were reported in this fire, according to the report.

The suspect will be prosecuted this Sunday in Talca, according to the Maule Public Prosecutor's Office, reported CNN Chile.

Chilean Ministry of Health issues health alert

Chile's Ministry of Health has issued a health alert for the Valparaíso region as firefighters continue to battle the flames threatening communities.

The emergency measure allows for the hiring and transfer of personnel, the suspension of scheduled elective and non-urgent surgeries and the authorization for the installation of field hospitals, according to a statement from the ministry released this Saturday.

And it also allows the direct acquisition of goods, services or equipment and gives the ministry the right to coordinate the network of public and private health providers “at the levels of primary, pre-hospital and hospital health care, including the major burn network ”, among other measures.

The ministry did not say how long the health alert will be in effect.

During a press conference this Saturday, the Minister of Health, Ximena Aguilera, said that five health units were evacuated in regions close to Valparaíso as a precaution against fires.