Death toll from Chile's wildfires reaches 123

SANTIAGO, Chile -- Volunteers in central Chile tried to remove charred metal, broken glass and other debris Monday from neighborhoods devastated by wildfires over the past several days, as officials raised the death toll to 123. Hundreds of people remain missing.

The fires appeared to have diminished by Monday morning after burning intensely since Friday on the eastern edge of the city of Viña del Mar. Two other towns in the Valpara'so region, Quilpe and Villa Alemana, also have been hit hard, and President Gabriel Boric said Sunday that at least 3,000 homes had been burnt down in the area.

Additional victims were added to the death toll Monday bringing it to 123, said Marisol Prado, the director of Chile's Forensic Medical Service.

Prado said many bodies were in bad condition and difficult to identify, but added that forensic workers would be taking samples of genetic material from people who have reported missing relatives.

Viña del Mar Mayor Macarena Ripamonti said at least 370 people have been reported missing in the city of about 300,000 residents.

The fires ravaged several neighborhoods that had been precariously built on the mountains that loom to the east of Viña del Mar, which is also a popular beach resort.

Officials have suggested some of the wildfires around the city could have been intentionally provoked. Dry weather, strong winds and low humidity helped the fires spread faster, Boric said.

Priscila Rivero, a chef from the neighborhood of Alto Miraflores, said it took about 15 minutes for the flames to travel from a neighboring hill to her home.

She said she rushed her children to safety when she saw the fire approaching, but by the time she returned to salvage some of her possessions her house was burning, with licks of flame emerging from the windows.

"It's the place where we have lived all our lives" Rivero said. "It's so sad to see it destroyed, and to lose our memories, our photos, the pictures from my parents' wedding, but some of that will remain in our hearts."

Schools and other public buildings in Viña del Mar and in the capital city of Santiago are currently serving as depots, where people are taking donations of water, food, candles and shovels for the victims of the fires.

In Viña del Mar and the nearby towns of Villa Alemana and Quilpe, police have asked people who have not been affected by the fires to stay at home so that rescue crews can move around with more ease.

Hundreds of people affected by the fires returned to their homes on Monday to search through the debris. Many have said they prefer to sleep near their homes in order to prevent looters from taking what is left of their possessions, or from claiming the land their homes were built on.

In the neighborhood of Villa Independencia, on Viña del Mar's eastern periphery, Marco Delgadillo tried to clear rubble from his home, which he built 25 years ago, when the area was first settled haphazardly by workers without construction permits.

The furniture in Delgadillo's house had been devoured by the flames and the walls were blackened by smoke, but they still stood.

The construction worker said he would rebuild and urged the municipal government to help him fix the collapsed roof of his home before winter starts in the southern hemisphere.

"We don't have any other choice," Delgadillo said. "Buying a new plot of land is unaffordable right now."

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Rueda reported from Bogota, Colombia

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