'It was total panic - with black smoke, falling fireballs and tongues of flame': the terror of Chile's wildfires

A long drought followed by exceptional heat and wind brought deadly blazes that ripped with devastating speed through the coastal town of Vi?a del MarOn the afternoon of Friday 2 February, Danitza Hurtado was resting at home after work, unconcerned about the seasonal summer wildfires that had started in a nearby farm close to a nature reserve. By 6pm, she was frantically gathering belongings with her father and brother as fireballs rained down and a wall of black smoke crept up the hill towards their home in the Achupallas neighbourhood on the fringes of Vi?a del Mar, a coastal city of about 300,000 people."The wind was hitting us, and trees were falling on top of the house," says the 22-year-old. "It was terrible. In less than 10 minutes, we had to get as much as possible out of the house and flee." Continue reading...