SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Volunteers in central Chile tried Monday to remove charred metal, damaged glass and other debris from neighborhoods devastated by wildfires in recent days, as the government raised the death toll to 123. Hundreds more are still missing.
The fires appeared to have diminished by Monday morning after burning intensely since Friday on the eastern edge of the city of Vina del Mar. Two other towns in the Valparaiso region, Quilpe and Villa Alemana, also have been hit hard, and President Gabriel Boric said Sunday that at least 3,000 homes had been burnt down in the area.
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An additional 10 victims were added to the death toll on Monday afternoon, said Marisol Prado, the director of Chile’s Forensic Medical Service.
Prado said many of the bodies were in poor condition and difficult to identify, but added that medical examiners would take DNA samples from other people who had reported relatives missing.
Viña del Mar Mayor Macarena Ripamonti said at least 370 other people were missing in the city of about 300,000 people.
The fires have devastated several precariously built neighborhoods in the mountains east of Viña del Mar, which is also a popular beach resort.
Authorities have warned that some of the wildfires around the city may have been intentionally set. Dry weather, strong winds and low humidity contributed to the faster spread of the fires, Boric said.
Priscila Rivero, a cook in the Alto Miraflores neighborhood, said it took about 15 minutes for the flames to reach her home from a nearby hill.
She said she took her children to safety when she saw the fire approaching, but during the time she returned to retrieve some of her belongings, her space in the fire, with flames coming out of the windows.
“It is the position we have lived our entire lives,” Rivero said. “It’s very sad to see it destroyed and to lose our memories, our photos, my parents’ wedding photos, but some of that will remain in our hearts. “
Later on Monday, a statement from U. S. President Joe Biden said, “Jill and I are deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation caused by the ongoing wildfires in Chile. “
“My administration is in contact with our Chilean partners and the United States is in a position to provide mandatory assistance to the Chilean people,” he said.
Lately, schools and other public buildings in Viña del Mar and the capital, Santiago, are being used as depots, where others receive donations of water, food, candles and shovels for those affected by the fires.
In Viña del Mar and the nearby towns of Villa Alemana and Quilpe, police have asked other people who have not been affected by the fires to stay in their homes so rescue groups can move more easily.
Hundreds of people affected by the fires returned to their homes on Monday to search through the rubble. Many said they liked to sleep close to home to prevent looters from taking what was left of their belongings or taking over the land on which their homes stood. constructed.
In the community of Villa Independencia, on the eastern outskirts of Viña del Mar, Marco Delgadillo tried to clear the rubble from his house, which he built 25 years ago, when the domain was randomly colonized by personnel without building permits.
The furniture in Delgadillo’s space had been engulfed in flames and the walls blackened by smoke, but they were still standing.
The employee of the structure said he would rebuild and suggested the city government fix the collapsed roof of his house before winter begins in the southern hemisphere.
“We don’t have a choice,” Delgadillo said. At the moment it is not possible to buy new land. »
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Rueda reported from Bogota, Colombia
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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
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