According to BioBioChile, a fire that broke out in the early hours of this Sunday in the comuna (municipality) of Quinta Normal, in the Región Metropolitana (Santiago Metropolitan Region), affected six homes and left one person dead. The victim's identity has not yet been released.
The third commander of the Cuerpo de Bomberos de Quinta Normal (Quinta Normal Fire Department), Yarlay Aránguiz, reported that two houses were completely destroyed and four others were partially damaged.
Volunteer firefighters found the victim inside one of the homes while they were controlling and putting out the fire. According to the outlet, the victim's age and sex have not yet been established. Carabineros (Chile's national police) took charge of the investigation.
Neighbors who saw the flames raised the alarm by calling 132, the fire department's emergency number. Three units arrived first. Because six houses were involved, a second fire alarm was declared.
In total, seven units and about 50 volunteers from the Cuerpo de Bomberos de Quinta Normal worked at the scene, with support from other fire departments and from the neighbors themselves.
Aránguiz explained that the homes were built of mixed materials with masonry and that the fire spread very quickly. The source does not report how many families were affected or whether they received municipal assistance.
Fire investigators are looking into the origin and causes of the blaze. Their findings will help establish the circumstances in which the fire started.
