VICHUQUEN, Chile (Reuters) — The worst wildfires in Chile’s modern history which are ravaging wide swaths of the country’s central-south regions, have destroyed the homes of at least 140 families who had already lost their homes in the country’s massive 2010 quake and tsunami.
Most of the affected families are from the hard-hit Maule region, local media reported.
Fifty-two-year-old Cecilia Correa lost her home in the town of Vichuquen. Correa had fled the coast after the 2010 earthquake and tsunami and had sought to live in an area near the hills.
“I thought we were not going to recover. I told myself to trust in God, that we were going to come through and thank God, we did. So far so good. Well at least there good spirits,” Correa said.
The sun had barely risen over the Chilean fishing town of Dichato in 2010 when the three giant waves roared in from the Pacific.
The first two surges started the town’s 7,000 residents, who had already been violently awakened by the earthquake that wrought destruction across a swathe of central Chile.
But it was the third surge, a huge wall of water, that tore up and smashed houses, swept cars out to sea, and sucked people’s possessions into the sea, destroying more than three-quarters of the town’s buildings.
In spite of her double tragedy, Correa remains optimistic.
“I don’t like the sea. I don’t want to look at it. I don’t go out for walks. Never. I don’t like the sea. (CAMERA FOCUSES BACK ON CORREA) Sometimes I cry but there are ups and downs and trusting in God, that people will support us and everyone will support us and we will pull ahead. God willing, again,” Correa said.
Forest fires are a regular feature of Chile’s hot, arid summers, but a nearly decade-long drought combined with historically high temperatures have created tinder-dry conditions.
The country declared a state of emergency at the beginning of the month.
At least some of the fires may have been started intentionally and there had been a number of arrests in relation to ongoing investigations, said Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.
According to official figures, the fires have consumed about 367,000 hectares, have left 11 people dead, more than 3,700 homeless and about 1,000 homes destroyed.
Some 600 brigades and experts from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, the United States, France, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Portugal, and Venezuela, together with local personnel, currently fight 58 outbreaks in several regions, while another 55 outbreaks have been controlled and 11 have been extinguished.
Elias Cornejo has endured life-altering conditions twice.
“The earthquake came and shook everything and there was something left (of the house). We were able to save a few things. Now, I only just tried to save my life,” said Cornejo from the town of Constitucion.
“We stood by idly because we never expected it to come (fire) in that way. This catastrophe. In other words, this fire that came like a beast,” said Lia Bravo, from town of Santa Olga in the Maule region, who also lost her home in 2010 and now relived her horror.
Correa is trying to maintain a sense of humor.
“If I did not drown (in 2010 tsunami) and I didn’t die now in the fire, how will I die?” She asked.
“It’s complicated but what are we going to do about it? Life goes on, so we just have to keep fighting,” added Cornejo.
Bravo said she would forge ahead.
“I do not know where to draw strength, but it is my women’s essence, those warriors, to forge ahead,” Bravo said.
Chile, along with the seismically-active Pacific Rim, is no stranger to natural disasters. It is often walloped by earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and strong storms.
As a result, its emergency response teams, building codes and residents are usually well-prepared to confront such situations. But the scale of this season’s fires have overwhelmed authorities.
