Fire at nursing home in Chile kills 16 elderly residents

The facility had faced fines and enforcement proceedings over regulatory violations since 2019.

Firefighters inspect the scene following a fire at a nursing home which has killed 16 people, in Pitrufquen, Araucania region, Chile on September 12, 2026 [Matias Gallegos/AFP]

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.

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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.

自 2019 年以来，该设施因违反监管规定而面临罚款和执法程序。

2026年9月12日，智利阿劳卡尼亚大区皮特鲁夫肯一家养老院发生火灾，造成16人死亡。消防员正在现场进行检查。[Matias Gallegos/AFP]

智利南部一家养老院发生火灾，造成16名老年居民死亡，另有多人住院治疗。

周五晚些时候，位于阿劳卡尼亚大区皮特鲁夫肯的一家单层养老院发生火灾，该养老院位于首都圣地亚哥以南约 640 公里（400 英里）处。

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列表 3/3：叙利亚北部一所监狱发生火灾，至少七人死亡

消防员于周六清晨扑灭了大火。

火灾发生时，养老院内共有26名老人。据当地政府消息，其中10人幸存，并被送往当地医院。这家私营养老院此前曾因违反相关规定而被罚款并受到执法部门的处罚。

社交媒体上发布的图片显示，一夜之间，大火吞噬了整栋建筑物，消防员正在用水枪扑灭大火。

市政当局向遇难者家属表示慰问。皮特鲁夫肯市市长杰奎琳·罗梅罗表示，市政卫生和公共安全部门、消防员和警察正在现场开展工作，并为遇难者家属提供支持。

罗梅罗告诉当地媒体：“今年2月，市政府曾专门发函要求进行检查，因为该设施不符合相关规定——它正受到卫生执法程序的约束。”

周六，消防员继续清理瓦砾和倒塌的波纹金属屋顶，而警方则封锁了现场。

火灾原因尚不清楚。当地检察官豪尔赫·格拉纳达表示，调查人员正在勘察现场并询问相关人员，以确定火灾是如何发生的以及是否还有其他人涉案。

地区卫生官员何塞·布拉沃表示，该机构有监管问题的历史，称其为不受监管的运营机构，自 2019 年以来一直受到行政诉讼和罚款。

罗梅罗表示，市政当局在二月份发现该房屋不符合相关规定后，要求进行检查，并面临卫生执法程序。

智利总统何塞·安东尼奥·卡斯特在X网站上发帖，呼吁对死亡事件的来龙去脉进行全面调查。他还表示，他已下令采取“紧急措施”，评估全国养老院的状况，并找出需要改进的地方，以防止类似事件再次发生。

此次事故发生不到一周前，智利阿尔托内瓦多斯酒店发生火灾，当时国际雪联大师级高山滑雪世界杯的参赛选手正在该酒店进行季前训练营。