The fires, some of which may have been deliberately set, began in the Valparaiso region on Friday and quickly spread to urban areas due to winds and high temperatures amid a heat wave affecting the country.

The death toll could rise in the coming hours, as more than 370 people are missing, the mayor’s office of Viña del Mar informed.

The fire mainly affected Villa Alemana, Viña del Mar, Quilpué, and Limache communes, where at least 15,000 homes were totally or partially damaged, besides other infrastructure, including the Botanical Garden.

“This is the greatest tragedy we have experienced as a country since the February 27, 2010 quake. I say this so that we could measure the pain and the magnitude of what we are experiencing in the Fifth Region today,” President Gabriel Boric said during a tour around the disaster areas. The 8.8 magnitude quake 14 years ago, killed hundreds and affected some two million people.

Boric announced that the priorities are to save lives, extinguish fires, recover the bodies of the deceased, channel urgent assistance to the victims, guarantee public order, and gather information to investigate the causes of the disasters.

As a tribute to the victims, the president announced two days of national mourning, starting this Monday, during which the flag will be hoisted at half-mast at government buildings, public offices, and units of the Chilean Armed Forces and Carabineers.

Countries such as Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Mexico, and Venezuela have offered to help Chile to fight the fires.

After the Sunday Angelus in Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Francis asked to pray for the dead and injured in the devastating fires in Chile.

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