Update: Final toll from devastating Valparaiso fire in Chile: 12 dead - 3,000 homes razed - 8,000 people homeless

RT
Sun, 13 Apr 2014 12:10 UTC

© AFP Photo/Alberto Miranda

View of houses in flames during a fire in Valparaiso, 110 km west of Santiago, Chile, on April 12, 2014

A wildfire in Chile has destroyed over 500 homes in six hours and continues to sweep the area, with strong winds fanning the flames. A state of emergency has been declared by the country's president in an effort to help the army battle the fires.

At least two people have been killed in the fire that swept more than 2.5 million square meters (660 acres), according to Chile's National Emergency Office

© AFP Photo/Felipe Gamboa

A firefighter works near houses on fire in Valparaiso, 110 km west of Santiago, Chile, on April 12, 2014.

Flames are blazing in the urban area that is only 80 kilometers from the country's capital, Santiago, while strong winds are drives the flames on to the cities of Valparaiso and Viña del Mar, situated on the Pacific Coast.

"This is the worst disaster I've seen in Valparaiso," La Prensa reported Ricardo Bravo, the local mayor, as saying.

"Now we fear that the fire could spread to the city center, which would increase the seriousness of this terrible emergency," Bravo said.

Firefighters from seven provinces, some of them in helicopters, are trying to battle the blaze.

A state of emergency has been declared by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, giving armed forces authorization to help firefighters tackle the fire.

More than 3,000 residents have been evacuated, according to La Prensa.

The fire, the cause of which is still under investigation, led to the suspension of drinking water and power outages in several neighborhoods of Valparaiso, to about 270,000 inhabitants.

Last February, 1,200 people were affected and 105 houses destroyed in Valparaiso in a fire reportedly caused by a 27-year-old man, who was arrested by police.

© AFP Photo/Felipe Gamboa

A firefighter stands next to burnig houses during a fire in Valparaiso, 110 km west of Santiago, Chile, on April 12, 2014

© Reuters/Cesar Pincheira

Smoke from a forest fire is seen in Valparaiso city, northwest of Santiago, April 12, 2014.

© AFP Photo/Felipe Gamboa

A local stares at houses in flames during a fire in Valparaiso, 110 km west of Santiago, Chile, on April 12, 2014.

© AFP Photo/Felipe Gamboa

View of burning houses during a fire in Valparaiso, 110 km west of Santiago, Chile, on April 12, 2014.

Comment: CNN, 14 April

Chile poured firefighters and police into the battle against a wildfire that swept through hundreds of homes in the Pacific coastal city of Valparaiso, leaving at least 12 dead, according to an official.

Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo reported at least 2,000 homes had been destroyed by the blaze, leaving some 8,000 people without a place to live.

Earlier, Chile's National Emergency Office's website, citing police, had said that at least 16 people were dead. It was not immediately clear why the reported death tolls were different.

More than 1,200 firefighters worked to control the wind-whipped blaze in Valparaiso and the suburb of Vina del Mar, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said Sunday.

The wind hampered firefighters' ability to create firebreaks, and the blaze had spread to more than 2,000 acres, Penailillo said.

A family huddles in a street in Valparaiso as the city is evacuated April 13.

Update 15 April 2014

More amateur video footage has surfaced showing the hellish scenes in Valparaiso:

Post by Patio Volantin.