The fire consumed four buildings constructed with light materials, said the Fire Department.   | Photo: Agencia Uno

Santiago de Chile, May 22 (RHC)-- Chilean authorities reported the death of two people this Sunday due to a fire in the commune of Talcahuano, in the Bío Bío region (south).  According to press media, the fire occurred during the early morning in the Santa Leonor population and burned four buildings built with light material.

The Fire Department, which found two bodies at the site, is investigating the causes of the incident. According to witnesses, a man who escaped unharmed from the fire returned to rescue a trapped woman and both died.

Rodrigo Rojas Álvarez, lieutenant colonel of the Carabineros Police, said that the identities of the deceased have not yet been determined.

Last summer,  Chile faced several large-scale fires, which caused the death of 27 people, more than 7,700 victims and some 2,500 homes destroyed.

The fires, considered the worst in the country in recent years, mainly affected the regions of La Araucanía, Bío Bío and Ñuble. The causes include rising temperatures and the impact of a forestry model based on pine and eucalyptus monoculture.