Attachments
What happened, where and when?
On the afternoon of 22 December, a fire started in areas of native forest in the upper part of the city of Viña del Mar (Valparaíso Region), 120 km from Santiago, Chile. The flames quickly reached high sectors of the ravines and hills where there are lighthouses and solid constructions that were affected and, due to their material, caused the fire to spread rapidly.
At the beginning of the fires, SENAPRED (National Service for the Prevention, Mitigation and Attention to Disasters), in conjunction with the Presidential Delegation of the region, decreed a communal red alert for Viña del Mar and ordered the evacuation of the sectors Tranque Sur, Vista las Palmas, Sub Sector Pasaje Puerto Williams.
On 23 December, the National President of the State decreed a "state of catastrophe" due to public calamity.
Although the State's response was quick, given the weather conditions in the area, with winds of more than 40-50 kilometers per hour, high temperatures and the presence of flammable material, the fire spread aggressively.
On 25 December, the fire was brought under control and a yellow alert was declared for Viña del Mar. On 26 December, a group of volunteers coordinated by INJUV (Instituto Nacional de la Juventud) and the municipality carried out debris removal work. On 29 December, SENAPRED confirmed that all fire outbreaks had been extinguished in Viña del Mar.
continue to burn across central and southern Chile, causing casualties and widespread damage. The worst affected regions include Bío Bío, Araucanía, Ñuble, Maule, Los Ríos, Los Lagos, Aysén, O’Higgins, Valparaíso, and Santiago Metropolitan. As of 7 February, according to the National System for Disaster Prevention, Mitigation and Attention (SENAPRED), there were 17 active wildfires across the aforementioned regions.
On 3 February, a "State of Constitutional Exception of Catastrophe" was decreed for the regions of Biobío, Ñuble and La Araucaria due to new forest fires that again affected families living in the areas. These fires are increased by climatic variables such as high temperatures.
Since the first week of February 2023, strong winds and high temperatures have caused dozens of forest fires that