Fire
Industry News
What began as a seemingly-contained hotel fire has escalated into a major, still-uncontrolled emergency, with Chilean authorities now describing the Hotel Alto Nevados as a total loss and reporting damage spreading well beyond the hotel itself. This article is an update to previous coverage by SnowBrains of the fire at the Nevados de Chillán ski resort in Chile.
- Related: Fire Breaks Out at Hotel Alto Nevados in Chile’s Nevados de Chillán, All Guests Evacuated Safely
A fire broke out Sunday afternoon, September 6, at the Hotel Alto Nevados, located in the Nevados de Chillán ski area in Chile’s Ñuble region, and has since grown into a complex emergency affecting multiple buildings across the resort. As of the latest reports, the fire remains uncontrolled. No injuries have been reported.
According to Carabineros captain Jaime Urra, the fire began around 5:00 p.m. local time, with the first alert reporting flames on the hotel’s fifth floor. Chilean outlets report that as the fire grew over several hours, authorities concluded the hotel had suffered a total loss. Damage has since extended to the resort’s cafeteria, its ski school, and its rental facility, and vehicles parked behind the hotel were also caught by the flames.
The emergency also struck the responding firefighters directly: Ñuble’s 3rd Fire Company reportedly lost a significant portion of its equipment, including hoses, in the blaze, though volunteers managed to evacuate the company’s fire truck before it could be damaged. Thankfully, no firefighters were injured.
Firefighter volunteers were mobilized from communes across the region — reported variously as including Las Trancas, Recinto, Pinto, San Ignacio, El Carmen, San Carlos, Coihueco, and Chillán, according to different outlets — with more than a dozen fire vehicles deployed to fight the blaze. Emergencia Ñuble reports that the fire was made more difficult to control by “viento puelche,” a warm, dry downslope wind common in the Andes that can rapidly intensify wildfires. Approximately 150 guests and staff were evacuated, and Ñuble’s regional presidential delegate confirmed all occupants are safe, with no injuries or fatalities reported.
In a statement, Hotel Alto Nevados confirmed that all guests and staff were successfully evacuated and are safe, and that there is currently no risk of the fire spreading to other facilities or surrounding areas: “During this afternoon a fire has been recorded at the Hotel Alto Nevados. According to the information available until this moment, there is no danger of spread to other facilities or surrounding sectors,” the hotel said. “Given this situation, our absolute priority has been, from the first moment, to safeguard the safety and well-being of our guests, collaborators, and all the people present at the location. All protocols and emergency measures have been activated and deployed in a timely manner, including the evacuation of hotel guests and workers, who are safe and out of danger.”
The hotel added that its team remains in permanent coordination with the Las Trancas Fire Department, whose volunteers are on site working to control and extinguish the fire, as well as with Chile’s National Disaster Prevention and Response Service (SENAPRED), adopting preventive measures in accordance with instructions from the relevant authorities. “We sincerely appreciate the signs of concern and support received. We will continue informing the public in a timely manner of any confirmed news through our official channels as we receive confirmed information on the evolution of the situation,” the statement continued. “We ask our community to remain calm, to stay informed only through official sources, and to avoid the dissemination of unconfirmed information or rumors. We especially appreciate the work and commitment of the emergency teams who are working on site.” The statement was signed by Nevados de Chillán, the resort operator, which also owns and manages the hotel.
That early assurance about containment did not hold. As the evening wore on, the fire’s intensity caused what authorities are now calling significant damage across multiple parts of the resort complex, including the Plaza Otto sector in addition to the hotel itself. As of the latest update from Ñuble’s regional emergency coordination office, the fire has remained active and uncontrolled for more than six hours, spreading to various surrounding structures. Strong winds in the area at one point forced firefighters to briefly pause combat efforts due to the risk to emergency crews, though officials report no firefighters have been injured. A preventive evacuation was also carried out for personnel on site to avoid further risk.
In a follow-up statement, Nevados de Chillán confirmed that everyone remains safe and announced it is suspending resort operations for Monday, September 7 as a result of the fire. Both the Ski Center and the Thermal Water Park will be closed for the day, though the resort’s Valle Hermoso sector will continue operating normally.
“We are living a situation that hits us deeply as Nevados de Chillán. During today, we suffered a large fire that affected the Alto Nevados Hotel and the Plaza Otto sector, generating significant material damage in infrastructure and nearby areas. Fortunately, everyone is safe. At this time, our teams are completely focused on attending to the emergency, assessing damage, reorganizing our priorities, and moving forward with the urgent actions that this situation requires.”
— Nevados de Chillán
“Given this complex scenario, and with the aim of protecting the wellbeing of our community, collaborators, and visitors, we have made the decision to suspend Nevados de Chillán operations during tomorrow, Monday, September 7,” the statement continued. “We know that this is a difficult time for everyone who is part of this mountain. We deeply appreciate the understanding, respect, and support of our community as we face this contingency.”
This remains an active, developing emergency, and details — including the cause of the fire and a fuller damage assessment — are expected to change as authorities provide further official updates.
This is a developing story, and SnowBrains will update this piece as more information becomes available.
