IN IMAGES, IN PICTURES. In Chile, fires kill at least 19 people and devastate more than 40,000 hectares

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The tourist region of Valparaiso, plagued by scorching temperatures, is particularly affected.

A “unprecedented disaster”, according to the mayor of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti. In Chile, at least 19 people were killed in fires which ravaged nearly 43,000 hectares, particularly in the tourist region of Valparaiso, plagued by scorching temperatures. “The Valparaiso region has never experienced a situation of this magnitude”whispered Macarena Ripamonti, whose city is particularly affected.

On the hills of the famous seaside resort, the streets are littered with hundreds of charred cars. Thousands of people found their homes destroyed on Saturday. Images that have gone viral show mountains engulfed in flames at the end of the famous “route 68”, a road used by thousands of tourists towards the beaches of the Pacific.

Firefighters have been fighting tirelessly since Friday against dozens of homes in the regions of Valparaiso and O’Higgins, but also Maule, Biobio, La Araucania and Los Lagos, in the south. At midday on Saturday, 92 fires were still active, including 40 under control. Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency in order to “have all the necessary means” faced with the progression of the flames. Since Wednesday, the temperature has been close to 40 degrees in central Chile. This heatwave, resulting from the El Niño climatic phenomenon, causes forest fires worsened by global warming.

The seaside resort of Vina del Mar, in a region where scorching temperatures are rampant, is particularly affected. In this image, residents watch as flames destroy homes in the city, February 2, 2024. (CRISTOBAL BASAURE / AP / SIPA)

Firefighters fight tirelessly to control the flames in the Vina del Mar region, February 2, 2024. (JAVIER TORRES / AFP)

A seaside resort trapped by flames. In the town of Vina del Mar, in central Chile, fires cause thick clouds of smoke, February 2, 2024. (SOPA IMAGES / SIPA)

Disfigured streets. In Vina del Mar, Chile, the Villa Independencia neighborhood is ravaged after the passage of flames, February 3, 2024. (ESTEBAN FELIX / AP / SIPA)

Fires destroyed many homes in the hills of Vina del Mar on February 3, 2024 in Chile. (LUCAS AGUAYO ARAOS / ANADOLU / AFP)

Residents of the seaside resort of Vina del Mar console each other after devastating fires hit the city and its region on February 3, 2024. (LUCAS AGUAYO ARAOS / ANADOLU / AFP)

On the hills of Vina del Mar, a woman observes the extent of the damage caused by the fires, February 3, 2024. (JAVIER TORRES / AFP)

In the Valparaiso region (Chile), a man tries to fight the flames in the town of Quilpe, February 3, 2024. (JAVIER TORRES / AFP)


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