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Background

During our visit to Concepcion, Chile one of the worst wildfires in decades, destroying thousands of homes. The community rallied together and responded with needed aid for their neighbors. This is the fires’ story:

The Fire

Around the affected areas, all the church houses, playground and many parking lots were filled with donated essential supplies. Water, food, fuel, clothing, and bedding were there for those who lost everything. The cities of Lirquien and Penco had over 50,000 homes burned, with 80 percent of the city lost in the fire. The fire consumed the wilderness surrounding the city, but the firemen fighting the flames day and night for days, turned the progression to keep it away from the most populated parts of Concepcion, some few hundred meters away from the city edges.

The community came together, with many realizing they were the only support people would get. Regardless of government or nonprofit organizations ability to provide aid, the local citizens knew they would be far short of the needs and stepped in to help out in any way they could. Hundreds of stories of heroic donations, evacuation assistance and support setup came flooding through. One particularly shared story was a young man who carried a paraplegic on his back to escape the flames, leaving with just the clothes on his back. He ended up losing everything he owned, left behind in the apartment consumed in the fire.

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Perspective

Life can be short and unpredictable, in an instant things that seemed so important can fade in a life and death situation. Often these situations bring a perspective focused on the essential instead of the mundane. The community surrounding Concepcion came together to lift and support each other in such difficult times and found a new perspective on life.

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