This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-50907976
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Valparaíso wildfire: Raging forest fires engulf Chilean city | Valparaíso wildfire: Raging forest fires engulf Chilean city |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| At least 80 houses have been engulfed by fast moving forest fires in the Chilean city of Valparaíso, prompting a mass evacuation. | At least 80 houses have been engulfed by fast moving forest fires in the Chilean city of Valparaíso, prompting a mass evacuation. |
| All the city's firefighters have been deployed to tackle the fires in the Rocuant and San Roque areas. | All the city's firefighters have been deployed to tackle the fires in the Rocuant and San Roque areas. |
| Power was cut to about 90,000 customers in the area as a precautionary measure. | Power was cut to about 90,000 customers in the area as a precautionary measure. |
| Valparaíso Mayor Jorge Sharp told Canal 24 Horas that the fires had been started "intentionally". There have been no reports of any casualties. | Valparaíso Mayor Jorge Sharp told Canal 24 Horas that the fires had been started "intentionally". There have been no reports of any casualties. |
| "At the moment, emergency teams from all over Valparaíso are working, using land and air resources, in two areas in the higher part of the city," the mayor said. | "At the moment, emergency teams from all over Valparaíso are working, using land and air resources, in two areas in the higher part of the city," the mayor said. |
| He added that strong winds and high temperatures were exacerbating the situation. Valparaíso is one of Chile's largest cities and a major port on the Pacific. | He added that strong winds and high temperatures were exacerbating the situation. Valparaíso is one of Chile's largest cities and a major port on the Pacific. |
| Are forest fires worse than in previous years? | |
| Wildfires have been raging in many parts of the world this year, including Brazil, Indonesia and the Arctic. | |
| In Australia, nine people have been killed and hundreds of homes have been destroyed by bushfires since September. The scale of the fires there and elsewhere has raised questions as to whether the fires can be linked to climate change. | |
| The science around climate change is complex - it's not the cause of bushfires but scientists have long warned that a hotter, drier climate would contribute to fires becoming more frequent and more intense. |