A raging fire leaped from hilltop to hilltop in this colorful port city throughout the night and day on Sunday, killing at least 11 people and destroying at least 1,000 homes. More than 10,000 people were evacuated, including more than 200 female inmates at a prison.
And with hot dry winds stoking the embers, the fires were still burning out of control as a second night approached.
The blaze began Saturday afternoon in a forested area above ramshackle housing on one of the city's 42 hilltops, and spread quickly as hot ash rained down over wooden houses and narrow streets. Electricity failed as the fire grew, with towering, sparking flames turning the night sky orange over a darkening, destroyed horizon.
Raging Forest Fire Destroys 500 Homes in Chile
Eventually, neighborhoods on six hilltops were reduced to ashes, including one hill just several blocks from Chile's parliament building. And flames broke out again on at least two of those hills, burning out of control and threatening to consume other neighborhoods.
"It's a tremendous tragedy. This could be the worst fire in the city's history," President Michelle Bachelet said as firefighters contained most of the blazes, mobilizing 20 helicopters and planes to drop water on hotspots Sunday.
The fire has destroyed 1,000 houses so far and authorities warned that the toll of death and damage could rise once authorities can enter the smoldering remains. Military Police Gen. Julio Pineda said 11 people were killed. Earlier Sunday, he said 16 died, but it turned out one family had been counted twice. More than 500 people were treated at hospitals, mostly for smoke inhalation.
Patricio Bustos, who directs the national forensics service, said DNA tests would be needed to identify some of the remains.
It was already the worst fire to hit the picturesque seaside city of 250,000 people since 1953, when 50 people were killed and every structure was destroyed on several of the city's hills.
While the fires were contained to the hills, Bachelet declared the entire city a catastrophe zone, putting Chile's military in charge of maintaining order.
"The people of Valparaiso have courage, have strength and they aren't alone," Bachelet said.
Valparaiso, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2003, is known for colorful neighborhoods hugging hills so steep that people have to use staircases rather than streets. About 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of the capital, Santiago, it has a vibrant port and is home to Chile's national legislature.
But many homes in densely populated poorer areas above the city center have been built without water supplies or access points wide enough for fire trucks, so much of the fight was from the air.
"This is the worst catastrophe I've seen," said Ricardo Bravo, the regional governor. "Now we have to make sure the fire doesn't reach the city center, which would make this emergency much more serious."
While 1,250 firefighters, police and forest rangers battled the blaze, 2,000 Chilean sailors in combat gear patrolled streets to maintain order and prevent looting.
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