Forest fires are frequent in Valparaiso, Chile. Every year during the summer season a large number of fires occur in the region, many of them near inhabited sectors, devastating entire populations. Already in 2014 and 2017 Alimapu (which means "burned land" in Mapudungun, the indigenous Mapuche people’s name for Valparaíso’s bay) saw its hills burned and more than 2,500 (2014) and 250 (2017) homes destroyed. The last major fire that reached populated areas occurred on December 24, 2019, originating at a property in the upper part of Valparaíso and destroying more than 300 homes.
Myriad factors contribute to the cyclical fires in Valparaiso’s forgotten hills and ravines. Institutional abandonment of peripheral areas; the presence of exotic timber species such as pine and eucalyptus in old forest plantations that now sit unmanaged; a lack of strong public policies on fire prevention; and weather conditions conducive to forest fire spread (strong winds and high temperatures in a region affected by drought) all play a role.
This work documents the rebuilding process for Claudio Gallardo and his mom, Ana Soto — a family that lost everything in the last Valparaíso fire (December 24, 2019) — as they worked to make their home liveable before the arrival of winter and in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, all while waiting for a permanent home promised by the state. The family is still waiting to receive their new home.
Good work.