Firefighters backed by police and soldiers battled for a third day Monday a massive blaze that killed 13 people and ravaged a huge swath of Chile's historic port city of Valparaiso.
It could be yet another two or three days before they succeed in extinguishing the fire, officials warned, the worst to hit the city, consuming 2,000 homes and forcing thousands of people to flee for their lives.
Some people who refused to leave their homes were killed when the inferno swept through.
Hardest hit have been Valparaiso's poorer neighborhoods, perched precariously on the coastal city's tinder-dry hillsides, where dwellings built mostly of wood with tin roofs quickly became engulfed in flames.
Thick smoke has settled over Valparaiso, and ash from the fire rained down on the city's historic port, which so far has been spared the wrath of the blaze.
President Michelle Bachelet has declared the ravaged area a disaster zone, allowing the armed forces to assist in relief efforts and take control of security.
"We are in an ongoing emergency situation," Bachelet's Defense Minister Jorge Burgos told local radio, adding that the fire poses "a very complex situation."
At least 11 helicopters, six planes and 2,000 police and soldiers, in addition to battalions of firefighters, are battling the blaze.
They were heartened by a forecast of cooler temperatures and higher humidity, which was expected to slow the fire's advance.
The city, an architectural gem located about 80 miles (120 kilometers) from the capital city Santiago, is famed for its UNESCO-listed center with cobblestone streets and brightly painted wooden homes.
The fire broke out on Saturday, and whipped up by winds quickly became a fast-moving inferno, so far destroying 850 hectares (2,100 acres) and forcing 10,000 people to evacuate.
'I will not leave'
Some residents -- including a few who later died -- had refused the order to evacuate for fear of losing their possessions to flames or looters, even though police and emergency crews guarded the streets.
"I will not let go of what little I have. This represents 15 years of effort, and until I can no longer see my house, I will not leave it. My wife and my four children are in the shelter," said Arturo Gomez.
About 1,200 people had spent a second night in one of eight shelters that authorities have opened.
Some people who dared to venture back after fire tore through their neighborhoods discovered homes that had been reduced to smoldering ruins.
Health Minister Helia Molina said that in addition to reconstruction, counseling would be offered to those affected.
"We are working with counseling teams to take charge of helping with what it means for a family to lose everything it had, because in this case people lost everything."
The blaze sparked the second mass evacuation in Valparaiso in as many weeks after the city was at the center of a tsunami alert following a magnitude 8.2 earthquake on April 1.
The fire also poses a new challenge for Bachelet, who one month after taking office on a mission to narrow the gap between rich and poor must re-order her priorities.
Bachelet announced she was postponing a visit to Argentina scheduled for Tuesday, in what was to have been her first trip abroad after assuming office for a second term on March 11.
Valparaiso's golden era was from the mid-19th century to the early 20th as a stopover point for ships steaming down South America and to round its southern tip into the Atlantic Ocean.
Fires occur frequently in central Chile, where summer sends temperatures soaring. It is currently autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.
In February 2013, some 105 homes were destroyed in Valparaiso, affecting 1,200 people.
AFP
Tue Apr 15 2014
It could be yet another two or three days before they succeed in extinguishing the fire, officials warned. -AP Photo
88 badan pensijilan halal luar negara dapat pengiktirafan JAKIM
Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) telah memberikan pengiktirafan kepada 88 badan pensijilan halal luar negara setakat Mei tahun ini.
eWarga Emas bentuk sistem penyampaian perkhidmatan berkesan, bersepadu - Noraini
Portal sistem warga emas (eWarga Emas) dibangunkan bagi membentuk sistem penyampaian perkhidmatan warga emas yang berkesan dan bersepadu.
MITRA lulus lebih RM95 juta untuk 11 program masyarakat India
Kesemua program yang dalam pelaksanaan itu memberi tumpuan kepada usaha memperkasakan sosioekonomi komuniti India dalam negara.
Kestabilan sosiopolitik Sabah bolehkan agihan ekonomi saksama - Juhar
Smber daya, kekayaan alam semula jadi dan potensi ekonomi dalam masyarakat dapat dibahagi dengan cara memberi peluang sama kepada rakyat.
Kenanga jangka OPR stabil 3.0 peratus pada 2025
Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd menjangka Kadar Dasar Semalaman (OPR) kekal stabil pada 3.0 peratus sepanjang 2025.
Johor sasar jumlah ternakan cecah 200,000 ekor pada 2027
Johor menyasarkan jumlah ternakan di negeri ini mencapai hingga 200,000 ekor pada 2027 setelah berjaya mencapai jumlah pengeluaran ternakan sebanyak 152,000 ekor hingga bulan lepas.
Hargai warga emas melalui penjagaan, hormat dan penglibatan - Lee Lam Thye
Lee Lam Thye menekankan keperluan mendesak untuk menghargai warga emas melalui penjagaan, hormat, dan penglibatan yang lebih baik.
Malaysia perlu bersedia penuhi keperluan TBB yang semakin meningkat - Fadillah
Keperluan tenaga boleh baharu (TBB) di negara ini semakin meningkat seiring dengan keyakinan pelabur asing khususnya untuk mewujudkan pusat-pusat data.
Belanjawan 2025: Kesalinghubungan internet di sekolah, kampus jadi keutamaan - Fahmi
Fahmi berkata ia termasuk isu Internet di kawasan terpencil, pedalaman dan pulau-pulau dalam memastikan akses Internet berkelajuan tinggi lebih meluas.
Pelajar tahfiz perlu teroka bidang teknologi
Kira-kira 200,000 pelajar tahfiz di negara ini, perlu dipastikan untuk mempunyai kemampuan dan peluang menjadi tenaga penggerak kepada umat Islam Malaysia dalam meneroka bidang yang dahulu dilihat sebagai asing., tegas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Gempa bumi berukuran 7.3 magnitud landa utara Chile
Satu gempa bumi kuat berukuran 7.3 magnitud telah berlaku berhampiran bandar pelabuhan Antofagasta di utara Chile, lapor Sputnik.
Chile sertai tuntutan mahkamah Afrika Selatan terhadap Israel di ICJ
Chile telah memutuskan untuk menyokong dan menyertai tuntutan yang difailkan oleh Afrika Selatan di Mahkamah Keadilan Antarabangsa di bawah Konvensyen mengenai Pencegahan dan Hukuman Jenayah Genosid.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Perubahan iklim, El Nino punca kebakaran hutan Chile
Perubahan iklim dan fenomena El Nino adalah kunci orang ramai perlu tahu bahawa kebakaran hutan di Chile yang meragut nyawa 131 orang dalam sejarah bencana alam terburuk di Chile.
Kerajaan, pemimpin Amerika Latin ucap takziah pemergian Sebastian Pinera
Kerajaan dan para pemimpin di seluruh Amerika Latin menzahirkan ucapan takziah atas kematian bekas Presiden Chile, Sebastian Pinera dalam nahas helikopter.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Gempa bumi 6.2 magnitud gegar Argentina
Gempa bumi dilapor dirasai di bahagian tengah dan selatan negara jiran Chile.
5 maut, helikopter tentera udara Chile terhempas
Lima anggota Tentera Udara Chile terbunuh dalam nahas sebuah helikopter di selatan negara itu Isnin malam.
Chile lulus RUU waktu bekerja 40 jam seminggu
Ahli Parlimen Chile meluluskan rang undang-undang (RUU) untuk mengurangkan waktu bekerja daripada 45 jam kepada 40 jam seminggu.
Speedy Tigers tak rela cicir mata berdepan Chile
Katanya, untuk pergi lebih jauh, Malaysia perlu menundukkan Chile apabila kedua-dua pasukan bertembung hari ini.