The worst forest fire to hit Chile has destroyed an entire town, including buildings, farms and livestock.
The fire that powered through Santa Olga — the largest of the many affected communities in Central Chile’s Maule region — destroyed more than 1,000 buildings.
Most of the residents of Santa Olga were safely evacuated, one body was recovered from the ruins while two people have been reported missing.
“What we have experienced here is literally like Dante’s Inferno,” Carlos Valenzuela, the mayor of the nearby city of Constitución, told the Guardian. “We were recovering after the last earthquake, but this tragedy has messed up everything,” Valenzuela added.
Seven people, have died in more than 90 forest fires that have blazed across central and southern Chile in recent weeks, including four firefighters, according to local media. 238,000 hectares of forest has been burnt across the country, the National Forest Corporation said, leading 4000 people to be evacuated.
Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet has declared a state of emergency and called for international help to stymie the wildfires. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. has sent a Boeing 747-400 “Super Tanker” help fight the fires.
Chile’s Interior Minister Mahmud Aleuy said more fires are expected, as more strong winds and hot temperatures have been forecast.
