Historical eventApril 122014

Great Fire of Valparaíso

A fire broke out near Valparaíso, Chile, eventually destroying at least 2,500 homes and leaving approximately 11,000 people homeless (damage pictured).

Everything on April 12Original source

In context

When
Saturday, April 12 201412 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
21st century · 2010s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 2014-04-12.

Place: Valparaíso, Chile.

Type: wildfire.

Deaths reported: 15.

Catalyst / how it started

Origin An investigation by the Chilean police took place to determine the origin of the Valparaíso wildfire. The police believe that it may have originated south of the Camino La Pólvora area, and southwest of Parque del Puerto cemetery. ONEMI officials have reported "the fire was started by the intervention of third parties". [ quote needs citation ] It is also thought that contact by birds on an electrical transmission cable may have generated the initial spark for the wildfire, [ 1 ]

What happened

The Great Fire of Valparaíso started on 12 April 2014 at 16:40 local time, in the hills of the city of Valparaíso, Chile. The wildfire destroyed at least 2,500 homes, leaving 11,000 people homeless. An additional 6,000 people were evacuated from the city, which was placed on red alert and declared a disaster zone. Fifteen people were confirmed killed and ten suffered serious injuries.

April 12 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1994Laurence Canter and Martha Siegel
  2. 1999Bill Clinton
  3. 1999NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
  4. 20022002 Mahane Yehuda Market bombing
  5. 20072007 Iraqi Parliament bombing
  6. 2009Zimbabwe
  7. 2010Merano derailment
  8. 20122012 Guinea-Bissau coup d'état
  9. 2013April 2013 Kidal attack
  10. 2014Great Fire of Valparaíso
  11. 2026Tisza Party

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Everything we record for 2014 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Great Fire of Valparaíso”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/great-fire-of-valpara-so-2014-april-12, accessed October 27, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did Great Fire of Valparaíso happen?

April 12 2014 — 12 years ago, on a Saturday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

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