State of emergency on Chile’s coast as forest fire threatens Valparaiso and Vina del Mar http://t.co/N8jKWRJR3v pic.twitter.com/F3GBXugk1k
— AJE News (@AJENews) March 14, 2015
SANTIAGO, Chile — The port cities of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar were threatened by a serious forest fire spreading quickly on Chile’s coast Friday.
The fire began in the afternoon and flames were spread quickly by high winds blowing toward the Pacific, leading authorities to declare a state of emergency for both cities.
Deputy Interior Secretary Mahmud Aleuy said that about 4,500 people in six neighborhoods had been evacuated as flames advanced nearby and that an additional 10,000 might need to be moved.
Aleuy said some buildings had been burned but the extent of damage had not yet been determined.
For more details and updates, see http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/03/13/world/americas/ap-lt-chile-forest-fire.html?ref=world&_r=0.
