Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
MIDVALE — As recovery efforts continue in the wake of the devastating wildfires in Chile last month, a contingent from the nation now living in Utah wants to lend a helping hand.
"I feel bad. I want to do something. I can't do nothing," said Miguel Echeverria, originally from Valparaiso, Chile, and now living in Orem.
As such, he and other Chilean expatriates in Utah are planning a grassroots fundraising effort on Sunday to help out. It may be only a fraction of what's needed — Echeverria is hoping to help two or three families impacted — but every little bit helps. About 4,000 Chileans now call Utah home, he estimates.
The fundraiser starts at 2 p.m. and will be held at Noemi's Cafe and Catering, 777 E. Fort Union Blvd. in Midvale. The locale, which features Chilean food, is owned by a Chilean friend, and money earned from food sales will be sent to assist two families impacted by the fires, three if enough funds are raised. Echeverria is working through friends and family in Chile to funnel the money to those in need.
Roughly 140 people died in the wildfires around Viña del Mar, a resort city on the Pacific coast that's north of Valparaiso, a busy port city, Echeverria said. Nearly 43,000 acres of land were torched, 10 schools were burned down and approximately 9,000 homes were destroyed, forcing many to scramble for accommodations.
"Some of them live with relatives. Some live in tents. Some live in the street," Echeverria said.
The fires in early February garnered worldwide headlines. They destroyed entire neighborhoods, with Reuters calling the fires the deadliest disaster in the country since a 2010 earthquake that left around 500 people dead.
Fires impacted the Valparaiso area in 2014, as well, Echeverria said, though the hit wasn't as hard as last month's fires.
Chileans "are used to that; they're used to the pain," he said.
