SANTIAGO, Chile — A serious forest fire spread quickly on Chile’s coast Friday and threatened to reach the nearby port cities of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar.
Officials said the fire began at an illegal garbage dump in the afternoon and flames were spread quickly by high winds, leading authorities to declare a state of catastrophe in the area. Deputy Interior Secretary Mahmud Aleuy said that about 4,500 people in six neighborhoods had been evacuated and an additional 10,000 might need to be moved.
Chile suffered its worst urban fire in the same general area, in April 2014, when a raging blaze that started as a forest fire killed 15 people in Valparaiso, injuring more than 500 and destroying more than 2,900 homes.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.