Fire at nursing home in Chile kills 16 elderly residents

A fire at a nursing home in southern Chile has killed 16 elderly residents and left others hospitalised.

The blaze broke out late on Friday at the single-storey care home in Pitrufquen, in the Araucania region, about 640km (400 miles) south of the capital, Santiago.

Firefighters extinguished the flames early Saturday.

Twenty-six elderly people were inside the facility when the fire started. Ten survived and were taken to a local hospital, according to the local government. The private facility had previously faced fines and enforcement proceedings for operating outside regulations.

Images posted on social media showed flames engulfing the building overnight, with firefighters using a water hose to battle the blaze.

Municipal authorities expressed their condolences to the families of those who died. Pitrufquen Mayor Jacqueline Romero said municipal health and public safety teams, firefighters, and police were working at the scene and supporting relatives of the victims.

“In February, the municipality had sent a letter specifically calling for an inspection because the facility was not in compliance with regulations – it was subject to sanitary enforcement proceedings,” Romero told local networks.

Firefighters continued removing debris and collapsed corrugated metal roofing on Saturday, while police secured the area.

The cause of the fire is still unknown. Local prosecutor Jorge Granada said investigators were examining the scene and questioning people to determine how the fire began and whether anyone else was involved.

Regional health official Jose Bravo said the facility had a history of regulatory problems, describing it as an unregulated operation that had been subject to administrative proceedings and fines since 2019.

Romero said the municipality had requested an inspection in February after finding that the home was not complying with regulations and was facing sanitary enforcement proceedings.

Chile President Jose Antonio Kast called for the circumstances surrounding the deaths to be fully investigated in a post on X. He also said he had ordered “urgent measures” to assess conditions at nursing homes nationwide and identify changes needed to prevent a similar incident.

This accident comes less than a week after a fire broke out at Chile’s Hotel Alto Nevados, where FIS Masters Alpine Skiing World Cup racers were staying for a preseason training camp.