Fires engulf hundreds of homes in Chile, killing two

At least two people died and about 400 homes were partially or completely damaged in a fire that broke out Thursday night in the central Chilean city of Viña del Mar, where authorities have declared a state of emergency.

The city’s fire chief, Patricio Brito, said two people died in the blaze, noting that the flames engulfed about 400 homes.
For his part, Deputy Interior Minister Manuel Monsalve announced that “the President of the Republic, Gabriel Boric, has decided to declare a state of emergency due to a general catastrophe” in the Valparaiso region, where Viña del Mar is located.
The declaration of a state of emergency allows the commander of the national defense forces in the region to limit constitutional rights and to confiscate all assets necessary to manage the disaster.

The National Emergency Office declared a state of maximum alert in Viña del Mar, a coastal city 120 kilometers north of the capital, Santiago, and ordered the evacuation of some of its neighborhoods.

The spread of the fire was increased by the winds, with speeds between 40 and 50 km/h.
Until nightfall, fire crews had been unable to put out the flames.
According to the National Forest Foundation, the fire consumed more than 110 hectares.