A fatal fire broke out at 03:37 on Sunday in the pasaje Cruz del Sur in Maipú, leaving one man dead and three families displaced, according to reporting by 24horas.
The emergency mobilized 17 machines and 120 firefighters from all companies of the Cuerpo de Bomberos de Maipú, with support from the Región Metropolitana, as detailed by Meganoticias. Fire officials faced complex conditions because the homes in the sector were situated very close together.
The Central de Alarmas dispatched the initial units after the alarm was activated at 03:37. The first arriving officer requested a second alarm to reinforce operations at the scene.
“When we arrived, the homes were completely in flames; it was impossible to carry out an offensive operation. Initially, defensive work was carried out, and afterward, when the temperature began to drop, we proceeded to enter and cut off the spread,” said Francisco Marengo, second commander of the Maipú Fire Department, as reported by 24horas.
The units also responded to a structural blaze that had previously been reported by La Batalla in the Villa General Baquedano sector.
Following ventilation and search operations, crews found that three homes were impacted, with one completely destroyed and two damaged by the spread of the flames, according to La Tercera. Inside the main affected home, firefighters discovered the body of a man estimated to be between 37 and 40 years old, based on information gathered from neighbors and relatives by BioBioChile – La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile.
“Search, rescue, and ventilation work was carried out, and three affected homes were found, of which one was totally destroyed and two were affected by the spread,” said Marengo, according to 24horas.
Teletrece reported that the victim was the grandson of an elderly couple, aged 70 to 80, who also resided in the home and were successfully rescued by neighbors and firefighters.
By instruction of the Fiscalía, personnel from the Laboratorio de Criminalística de Carabineros (Labocar) took charge of the investigation to determine the origin of the fire, as reported by BioBioChile – La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile. The OS9 department also took charge.