The mayoress of Viña del Mar, Macarena Ripamonti, (RD) referred to the investigation of the causes of the fire in the commune, stressing that “we have exclusive dedication of the Prosecutor’s Office.”
The community chief added that “one thing is what happens with our legal system, but we must move forward in establishing new criminal offenses and in a project that I ask please be considered by Parliament, which limits the construction of real estate after areas casualties”.
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“This is relevant for the recovery of plant species and ecosystems,” sentenced Ripamonti, who also referred to the houses affected by the fire. He indicated that they can be between 200 to 500 properties. However, he clarified that the certified damaged homes are 131, a figure that could increase with the inspection of the authorities.
Governor points out “great dose of intentionality” by fire
The governor of Valparaíso, Rodrigo Mundaca (independent, close to the Broad Front), affirmed that there is a “great dose of intentionality” in the massive fire that affected the city of Viña de Mar and that also caused the death of two people.
“There are structural problems. Today it is essential to put the emphasis on improving the regulatory frameworks in terms of prevention, investment of resources and formulation of management and territorial planning,” said the head of the Regional Government.
“The absence of territorial planning policies is what allows the use of highly dangerous territories,” added Mundaca.
The fire, which broke out after 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, spread rapidly through ravines and hills due to the strong winds that were recorded in the coastal area, making it difficult for the emergency teams to control the incident. in the place.
In turn, during the early hours of the morning, the Executive declared a state of catastrophe, which allows the adoption of all extraordinary administrative measures necessary for the prompt restoration of normality in the affected area.
“We are going to move heaven, sea and earth to find those responsible”
President Gabriel Boric flew over the area of the catastrophe and promised to help all the families affected by the disaster.
“There will be all the support that is needed (…) The cadastre is being carried out to effectively know what specific aid is needed and where. We have allocated the resources so that they are available in a timely manner (…) This cannot be news only for one, two, three or four days; we have to take advantage of it to carry out a management, a contingency plan, that allows us to prevent,” said the head of state from Viña del Mar, whose damaged area he flew over upon arriving in the town located 122 kilometers from Santiago.
“Stopped the fire and helped the families, we have to see this as an opportunity, in the sense of planning and territorial ordering (…) “In our country we are standing on a powder keg. What happened in Viña could happen again in many places, therefore, the call to responsibility is very important,” added the president.
In addition, Boric stressed the need to focus efforts on fully controlling the fire, avoiding “fights for visibility” and seeking to “support families in everything they need.”
“We are working with the Prosecutor’s Office and PDI to establish whether or not there was intentionality. If there is intentionality, we are going to move heaven, sea and earth to find those responsible,” declared the Chilean president.
“It was as if they had dropped a bomb”
The Puerto Williams Passage, in the area of the South Dam of Forestal Alto, one of the most densely populated hills in Viña de Mar, almost completely disappeared.
“My mother lived here with my brother and she lost everything, as did all the neighbors. Their lives are safe and we will have to start again like 23 years ago, from the ground up and pick ourselves up. Here are 35 families who lost their homes in the passage. I don’t know if it could have been avoided, it’s as if they had dropped a bomb,” neighbor Verónica Figueroa told EFE.
“We are on Christmas Eve and it is heartbreaking to know the story of the families who lost practically everything. (…) Solidarity Christmas dinners are being organized (…) They coordinated with the regional and Interior delegate to agree on an exclusion perimeter in which only emergency cars or those going to collect rubble can get in,” said the Minister of Social Development, Giorgio Jackson, in charge of coordinating the aid.
“There are more than 70 public officials certified by Social Development registering today, for tomorrow, first thing in the morning, to have a report on the affected families and to send the resources,” he added.
