At least two people died and some 400 homes have been damaged or destroyed in a fire that broke out Thursday in the Chilean seaside resort of Vina del Mar, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency, IgbereTV reports
The flames, fanned by strong gusts of wind, spread from the upper areas of town down ravines and hills in the span of just a few hours to the lowest and most inhabited sections of the city, located some 120 kilometers (75 miles) from Santiago.
The blaze, which has already burned some 110 hectares (270 acres), has a “rapid spread, high heat intensity and dispersion,” the National Emergency Office (Onemi) said.
Several neighborhoods and one informal settlement were ordered evacuated
