As of Sunday morning about 500 homes have been destroyed and 10,000 people have been evacuated from Valparaiso, Chile due to a wildfire. The fire has killed at least 11 people. The death toll is expected to rise.
Beginning Saturday afternoon in a very woodsy area, a wildfire has caused much catastrophe in Valparaiso and the neighboring suburb of Vina del Mar. As winds picked blowing towards the ocean, the wooden houses in the area received numerous ash over them, reported the Associated Press. As a result of the fire, electricity failed as well further feeding the fire to continue. Six hilltop neighborhoods of the 42 hills in the area have been destroyed.
More than 1,200 firefighters are working to control the fire however the blaze now has taken over more than 2,000 acres, reported CNN.
17 helicopters have been brought in to help contain the fire. Additionally, 2,000 Chilean sailors have been brought in to maintain order and prevent from looting while the fire continues.
This is the worst fire the city has seen since 1953. In this previous fire, 50 people were killed and a large amount of structures were burnt down on the various hills of the city.