Fire at nursing home in Chile kills 16 elderly residents

A blaze at a privately run, single-storey nursing home in Pitrufquen, in southern Chile's Araucania region, killed 16 elderly residents after it erupted late on Friday and was brought under control early on Saturday. Social media footage posted during the night showed the building alight as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames with hoses.

Municipal authorities said 26 people were inside the facility when the fire began; ten survived and were transported to a nearby hospital. Fire crews continued clearing debris and collapsed corrugated metal roofing on Saturday while police secured the scene, officials said.

Local leaders and investigators are working at the site. Pitrufquen's mayor, Jacqueline Romero, said municipal health and public safety teams, firefighters and police have been supporting relatives of the victims. Prosecutor Jorge Granada said investigators are examining the scene and interviewing people to determine the cause of the fire and whether any third parties were involved.

Regional health official Jose Bravo noted the home had long-standing regulatory troubles, describing it as an unregulated operation that had faced administrative proceedings and fines since 2019. Romero added that the municipality had sent a letter in February requesting an inspection because the facility was not complying with regulations and was subject to sanitary enforcement proceedings.

President Jose Antonio Kast called for a full investigation on X and ordered “urgent measures” to assess conditions at nursing homes across Chile to identify changes needed to prevent similar incidents. The nursing home fire occurred less than a week after a separate blaze at Hotel Alto Nevados, where athletes from the FIS Masters Alpine Skiing World Cup were staying for preseason training.