“Big clouds of smoke have poured in”

Fire planes and helicopters hover over the huge forest fires in Chile.

Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes and the death toll is still only “preliminary”.

– It has been very stressful, says Swedish Gunilla Franzén.

Chile’s President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of emergency due to the massive forest fires that are rocking the South American nation. Vegetation turns to ash and large clouds of toxic smoke obscure the sky. More than 1,100 houses have burned down and even more people have been forced to evacuate their homes.

Helicopters, airplanes and hundreds of firefighters contribute to the rescue work. So far, a breathtaking 43,000 hectares are said to have been affected by the flames. According to La Tercera the fires have also caused heavy explosions after reaching a gas reservoir.

– We will use all technical and human resources to fight the forest fires. The priority is the safety of all families, says President Boric.

Across the country, 93 active fires have been reported, of which 40 are said to be under control, write El País. The fires “Las Tablas Complex” at the coastal city of Viña del Mar and “Lo moscoso” in Quilpé were considered the most worrying on Saturday. Both in the Valparaíso region.

At least 46 dead

The death toll has not been determined, but Gabriel Boric announced on Saturday night that at least 46 people had died, including a 17-year-old girl.

– I want to be very careful with the death toll given the conditions, the number of victims will certainly rise in the next few hours, says Boric according to La Tercera.

On local television channels, people testify about the tragedy, something El País reports on.

– I just found out that a neighbor has been burned to death, along with his son and nephew, says a woman interviewed by TVN in Viña del Mar.

– They want to kill us, because we are poor. Everything exploded like a bomb, says a man on the same channel.

An active red button

Interior Minister Tohá describes it as an “active red button” between the capital Santiago de Chile and the Valparaíso region.

– It is a very large area that is in a very sensitive situation.

Swedish Jovanna Remaeus Jönson has been at work in the capital and has spent a few days in Valparaíso. She has passed the “active red button” area.

– We saw some burned out forest areas on the way, but otherwise we mostly saw large clouds of smoke that poured in over the city. There was heavy fire smoke last night and during the morning in Valparaíso, says Jovanna Remaeus Jönson to Aftonbladet.

It is not the first time that the Chilean nature has been affected by large forest fires, and it shows in the people.

– It was an anxious atmosphere but also a kind of calm. There is a habit of this.

The warning: “Head to the playa”

The anxious mood has also spread in Sweden. Gunilla Franzén and husband Luis have relatives and friends in Valparaíso. When the fires broke out, it was not possible to get in touch with the relatives.

– It has been very stressful. We caught up with them very late last night and the only thing they managed to say was: “It’s on fire, we’re running away from here now”. Then it was broken, says Gunilla Franzén.

The emergency services have sent out messages to everyone who was in the vicinity of the fires. Jovanna Remaeus Jönson says she has received several “red alerts” about cities being evacuated.

– It was a warning SMS that was sent out. You would go to the playa because there was toxic smoke. Get there as fast as you can, it said. It is a very large beach there, so there is room for an incredible amount of people. But it’s really scary, says Gunilla Franzén.

– You must not forget that it is not just a tourist resort. It’s ordinary people who live there and are affected by this.