<p>A fire in the Chilean port city of Valparaiso has <b>destroyed over 2,000 houses and killed at least 12 people</b> over the weekend, according to the Chicago Tribune.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The fire was fed by strong winds from the Pacific coast. It affected over <b>1,700 acres</b> of forest and residential neighborhoods. In the rolling hills of Valparaiso, houses are made of wood and spaced closely together, making fighting the fire difficult.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">One official said it was the "worst catastrophe" he had ever seen, according to BBC.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><iframe width="500" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/8M8tscxsiSE?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Firefighters fought the blaze using planes and helicopters to drop water. President Michelle Bachelet declared a state of emergency, and Marines patrolled the streets as emergency crews treated victims.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Temporary shelters have also been set up for those affected by the blaze.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The Chilean Congress is located in Valparaiso, and it was spared along with the historic quarter's 19th century architecture. The old centre is a Unesco World Heritage Site, and it contains a lot of old buildings that are vulnerable to fire.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">"It is still not completely extinguished," said Ricardo Bravo, a local government official.<img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/chile-valparaiso-fire-evacuation.si_.jpg" alt="Cropped Images Apr 9th 2014" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The reports have not specifically mentioned how exports will be affected. If packing sheds, cold storage facilities, transportation links, ports and airports are all potentially impacted. Until the fire is fully contained, the full extent of the damage to fresh produce exports will be hard to determine.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to follow this story as more details become available.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
