Huge fire nearly destroyed resort town in Chile

A week before the New Year, the Chilean city of Viña del Mar has turned into a real portal to Hell.

According to preliminary data, on Thursday, December 22, in a forest located in the upper part of the city in the Nueva Esperanza sector, a fire began. Due to dry and windy weather, the fire instantly spread to nearby buildings made of flammable materials and garbage dumps. From there, the fire quickly spread to other parts of the resort town, which at this time receives a large number of tourists.

Wind gusts of 40 to 50 kilometers per hour contributed to the rapid spread of fire, which complicated the work of foresters and firefighters.

In just a few hours, the flames engulfed at least 110 hectares. The fire raged for more than a day. “The fire was enveloping and changed within minutes due to the direction of the wind,” Alejandra Lastiva told TVN news channel.

According to the National Forest Corporation (Conaf), the fire was caused by "human error". The fire destroyed more than 500 buildings, including high-rise buildings. It is known about two dead and 30 injured. State of emergency declared.

During the night, the flames threatened to burn Quinta Vergara, the park that houses the historic Palacio Vergara, which houses works of art and objects of heritage value.

Every summer, the park hosts a traditional song festival in this city.



At the moment, the fire has not yet been extinguished, now there are three large outbreaks.