Chile Forest Fire Leaves at Least 15 Dead, 1,000 Homes Destroyed

A deadly forest fire in the port city of Valparaiso, Chile, has killed at least 11 people, and destroyed 2,000 homes with strong winds fanning the flames, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said on Sunday.  

A state of emergency has been declared by the country’s president in an effort to help the army battle the fires.

At least 12 people have been killed in the fire that swept more than 2.5 million square meters (660 acres). Valparaiso Police Chief Julio Pineda who spoke to 24 Horas television said earlier that 16 people had been killed, but it turned out that one family was counted twice.

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 central port cities of Valparaiso and Viña del Mar, situated on the Pacific Coast.

"It is a terrible tragedy, without doubt the worst fire in the history of Valparaiso," President Michelle Bachelet stated upon arrival in the city, according to AFP.

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