Newsletter｜“It was like raining fire from the sky” – Chilean survivors recall the time when the forest fires hit

Xinhua News Agency, San Diego, February 7Newsletter｜“It was like raining fire from the sky” – Chilean survivors recall the time when the forest fires hit

Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhu Yubo

Chilean Marlena Hernandez turned 59 on the day the fire destroyed her home.

This is the city of Viña del Mar in Valparaiso Region, Chile, after a fire, taken by drone on February 5.Xinhua News Agency

On the 2nd local time, forest fires broke out in many places in the Valparaiso region in central Chile, and quickly spread to densely populated areas and swept through many towns. As of the evening of the 7th, the fire had killed 131 people and about 15,000 houses had been burned down. This is Chile’s worst disaster since the 8.8-magnitude earthquake in 2010.

The city of Kilpue, where Hernandez lives, is located about 120 kilometers northwest of Santiago, the capital of Chile, and is one of the hardest-hit cities. Before the fire struck, she was celebrating her birthday with her family eating cake. No one expected the disaster to come.

“We were listening to the radio at the time, and the news said that the fire was burning on Route 68.” Hernandez recalled that the fire was still far away from her home at first, but the strong winds in the sudden direction pushed the flames forward and soon burned her. They were caught off guard by the rapid spread of the fire in the Pompeia neighborhood.

“The smoke spread quickly and made it impossible to breathe. When we realized that something was wrong, it was too late to do anything.” She described the horrific scene she saw when she escaped from the house with her family. “The fire swept through and burned House after house, gas pipes were catching fire and exploding.”

The rapid spread of fire is an important reason for causing a large number of casualties. It is summer in Chile, located in South America, and days of high temperatures and strong winds are very conducive to the spread of fires. In addition, many cities in the Valparaiso region are built on mountains and close to forests, making them more susceptible to forest fires.

The specific cause of the fire has not yet been released. However, because some locations in this round of forest fires were on fire at the same time, the Chilean government believed that there was the possibility of “organized and planned” deliberate arson, and launched an investigation into this.

Hernandez, her husband, three daughters and grandchildren all managed to escape the fire, but not everyone was equally lucky. “An old lady survived, but her husband did not. A couple and their daughter were burned to death in a car. Many people were killed in the flames. Many houses were burned down along with their belongings, and we lost everything.”

After the Pompeia neighborhood was engulfed in flames, the fire burned away the flammable materials of the houses, leaving behind burned and twisted metal structures and charred walls. Many cars were left with only bare metal shells.

Juan Perez was also one of the people who witnessed the fire in this neighborhood. On the evening of the 2nd, he went to visit his father. About half an hour later, he noticed a light outside the window and walked out of the house before discovering the fire.

“It seemed like it was raining fire from the sky. In just half an hour, I couldn’t go back the way I came. I could hardly see anything.” Perez quickly started the car and loaded up his father and sister to escape the fire.

On the way, the vehicle passed through a nearby town. “There was a fire there, too. The wind was strong and the fire was so fierce that people and animals seemed to be suffocated,” Perez said.

On the 7th, the fire in the Valparaiso region was basically under control, and post-disaster reconstruction work was carried out one after another. Chilean President Boric announced a series of disaster relief measures during his inspection of the disaster area on the 6th, including temporarily waiving the household utility bills of the victims.

As Hernandez was interviewed, people came and went behind her, clearing damaged homes. She is very grateful to the people who came to help with disaster relief and reconstruction, but she also admitted that it is not easy to restore the past life. “The only thing we can do is to unite together and move on.”

On February 5, police officers patrolled the streets in Viña del Mar, Valparaiso Region, Chile.Xinhua News Agency

This is the scene after the fire in Viña del Mar, Valparaiso Region, Chile, on February 5.Xinhua News Agency

On February 5, people cleaned up the ruins of a fire in Viña del Mar, Valparaiso Region, Chile.Xinhua News Agency

This is the city of Viña del Mar in Valparaiso Region, Chile, after a fire, taken by drone on February 5.Xinhua News Agency

This is the city of Viña del Mar in Valparaiso Region, Chile, after a fire, taken by drone on February 5.Xinhua News Agency

This is a car destroyed by fire in Viña del Mar, Valparaiso Region, Chile, on February 5.Xinhua News Agency

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2024-02-08 12:20:58