More than 400 people forced to evacuate burning building in Providencia

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SANTIAGO.- More than 400 people were told to evacuate their homes early this morning, after a fire was reported in the storage area of a business located in the basement of building Torres Dos in the municipality of Providencia.

According Rodrigo del Río, the man who rents the convenience store "Modus Vivendi", there were two fires at the site. The first fire began at 10:00 AM yesterday and was controlled by firefighters six hours later. The second was reported to have begun at 1:00 AM today. This second fire completely destroyed the shop's storage area and caused damages appraised at approximately 20 million pesos.

According to Carolina Soto, president of the administration committee, the fire was caused by a short circuit.

Chief Firefighter Marcial Argandoña stated that temperatures registered at over 600 degrees Celsius (1,112 degrees Fahrenheit) at the scene made the job very difficult for volunteer firefighters.

According to Argandoña, a remodeling job that had left a tile floor blocking the ventilation ducts considerably aggravated the incident.

The fire was finally controlled some time after 7:00 AM. The Eastern Public Attorney's Office will be in charge of investigating the case.