9621 Agnes Crossing, Lake Suzanneview, New Mexico Island 84604-9295.
“Residents are busy restoring order in their lands, but the memory of the terrible hours of the fire is still fresh in everyone’s minds. Upon arrival at the
“Residents are busy restoring order in their lands, but the memory of the terrible hours of the fire is still fresh in everyone’s minds. Upon arrival at the fire scene, the panorama is truly shocking, it looks like battlefield where the bombs went off because houses were destroyed– said Naila Derruan Viña del Mar.
Sometimes only a few walls remain intact, but in most cases nothing remains but a pile of sheets. Also there is a constant curtain of smoke: It stings your eyes and you have to wear a mask because there is a lot of ash in the air.
Many people came to help collect the rubble and throw away burnt scrap metal. Some also came to distribute food, water and hygiene kits. The night curfew was extended until Tuesday, from 9:00 pm local time to 5:00 am, to ease the work of forensic experts and debris removal, and to try to restore some public services.
Valeria Melipillan, mayor of Quilpouet, explained.
Our commune is one of the most affected by this great fire. At the moment the fire is almost under control, but it leaves us in great desolation. The inventory we have at the moment predicts the impact of more than 1,700 homes. We have many people affected, so we describe this as the greatest tragedy our community has experienced in recent memory.
He later added.
Some neighbors lost everything. The only thing they have is the clothes they were evacuated in, and nothing else. Today the needs are numerous and extreme. These were very difficult days. Last night was especially difficult. We had to resolve several security issues. Several people tried to start new fires. There were fistfights and attempted robbery. The mood of residents is at its lowest level. They suffer greatly from this situation. We work with the military and police. They are currently working in our community to improve safety.
A real chain of solidarity has been created, since at the moment neither the mayor’s office nor the government has yet visited this particular sector; some residents regret it, others are more forgiving because they know thousands of homes were affected.
The latest balance on Monday rose to 123 dead, of which only 33 people have been identified, the Legal Medical Service (SML) said in a statement. Another 79 bodies are undergoing autopsy.
In the meantime, the cause of the fire is being established.
There is a hypothesis of intentionality. The truth is that this fire started with simultaneous outbreaks in the hardest-hit communities, making it very difficult to contain. These were simultaneous outbreaks during the hottest and windiest hours. Today, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is considering the hypothesis of premeditation and is conducting an investigation into it. There are also videos of people starting fires in different sectors and I believe that this is really the factor that made this fire the largest fire in the history of our country.
Both presidents Gabriel Borich and the Home Office has already said it suspects the fires were arson and has promised to investigate until the culprits are found.
RFI
Source: Aristegui Noticias
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