At least 46 people killed in Chile as wildfires move into densely populated areas: NPR

A resident flees an encroaching forest fire in Vina del Mar, Chile, on Saturday. Intense forest fires burning around a densely populated area in central Chile have killed several people and destroyed hundreds of homes, officials said.

Esteban Felix/AP

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Esteban Felix/AP

A resident flees an encroaching forest fire in Vina del Mar, Chile, on Saturday. Intense forest fires burning around a densely populated area in central Chile have killed several people and destroyed hundreds of homes, officials said.

Esteban Felix/AP

VINA DEL MAR, Chile – Severe wildfires burning around a densely populated area in central Chile have killed at least 46 people, Chile's president said Saturday evening, and officials said at least 1,100 homes have been destroyed.

In a nationally televised address, President Gabriel Buric warned that the death toll could worsen as four major fires burned in the Valparaiso region, with firefighters struggling to reach the most vulnerable neighborhoods.

Boric urged Chileans to cooperate with rescue workers.

He added: “If you are asked to evacuate, do not hesitate to do so.” He added, “The fires are advancing rapidly, and the weather conditions have made it difficult to control them. There are high temperatures, strong winds, and low humidity.”

Interior Minister Carolina Toha said earlier Saturday that 92 forest fires were burning in the center and south of the country, where temperatures were unusually high this week.

The deadliest fires occurred in the Valparaiso region, where authorities urged thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

Meanwhile, in areas far from the fires, residents have been asked to stay home so that fire engines, ambulances and other emergency vehicles can move on the roads more easily.

Two fires near the towns of Quilboy and Villa Alemana have burned at least 8,000 hectares (19,770 acres) since Friday, Toha said. One of the fires was threatening the coastal resort of Viña del Mar, where some neighborhoods suffered severe damage.

In Villa Independencia, a hillside neighborhood on the eastern edge of the city, several blocks of homes and businesses were destroyed. Burnt cars with broken windows lined streets covered in ash.

“I've been here for 32 years, and I never imagined this would happen,” said Rolando Fernandez, one of the residents who lost his home.

He said he first saw the fire burning on a nearby hill on Friday afternoon, and within 15 minutes the area was engulfed in flames and smoke, forcing everyone to run for their lives.

“I've worked all my life, and now I have nothing left,” Fernandez said.

Three shelters have been set up in the Valparaíso area, and 19 helicopters and more than 450 firefighters have been brought to the area to help fight the fires, Toha said.

The fires were burning in hard-to-reach mountains, such as precariously built neighborhoods on the edge of Viña del Mar.

Officials reported power outages as a result of the fire, and Toha said that in the Valparaiso area, four hospitals and three nursing homes were evacuated. The Interior Minister said that the fire also destroyed two bus stations.

The El Niño weather pattern has caused droughts and higher-than-normal temperatures along western South America this year, increasing the risk of wildfires. In January, more than 17,000 hectares (42,000 acres) of forest in Colombia were destroyed by fires that followed several weeks of dry weather.