Deadly Chile shantytown fire reflects struggle to handle migrant boom

The remains of a house that was destroyed in a fire killing a Venezuelan immigrant family is pictured in an informal settlement, in Valparaiso, Chile November 30, 2023. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido

CORONEL/VALPARAISO, Chile (Reuters) - Yureima Carvajal smelled smoke while preparing dinner on a rainy Monday evening in Los Pirquenes, an informal settlement in southern Chile. She thought someone was burning trash until she heard children screaming.

"We ran over there and there weren't any firefighters, there weren't a lot of people and it was already burning so strong," Carvajal said. "There were neighbors trying to throw water on it but you couldn't put it out because it was already burnt."