Santiago de Chile, February 5 RHC)-- In Chile, at least 112 people have been killed as the country’s deadliest-ever wildfires rage throughout the central coastal hills.  Hundreds of others are missing in the fires caused by a summer heat wave and drought. 

Chile is observing two days of national mourning as President Gabriel Boric declared a state of emergency. 
The fires now threaten to engulf the cities of Viña del Mar and Valparaíso, which have a combined population of over one million. 

A resident of Viña del Mar, Jessica Barrios, who lost her home told reporters: “From one moment to the next, the fire reached the botanical park.  In 10 minutes, the fire was already on us.  There was smoke. The sky turned black.  Everything was dark.  The wind felt like a hurricane.
 It was like being in hell.”

Wildfires are becoming more frequent and more lethal as the climate crisis worsens.