Specialized Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams from the Santiago Fire Department discovered the body of a man this Tuesday inside a burned-out mansion at the intersection of Catedral and Avenida Cumming.
The discovery was made during a specialized operation within the collapsed structure, one week after the fire devastated the property in the heart of the capital.
The USAR team was activated following requests from the Centro Norte Prosecutor's Office and the Municipality of Santiago to locate potential victims following the fire and the building's subsequent collapse.
Rescue efforts in unstable terrain
Sebastián Mocarquer, fourth commander of the Santiago Fire Department (CBS), detailed the complexity of the structure, which had sustained severe structural damage.
“It is a three-story structure; the third floor collapsed onto the second, and part of the second onto the first,” Mocarquer explained.
Due to the instability of the building, firefighters had to stabilize the lower levels before they could advance into the most critical areas of the structure.
The commander noted that search efforts were concentrated on the second floor, following leads provided by witnesses and the police (Carabineros). “This allowed search operations to begin in the afternoon, specifically on the second floor, which was the area of interest identified by witnesses and Carabineros,” he added.
Following the inspection, the officer confirmed the discovery: “As a result of this search, the Santiago Fire Department can confirm this afternoon that a male victim has been found.”
While the body is being processed for legal forensics, authorities remain on high alert.
“We cannot rule out the presence of more bodies inside the mansion,” Mocarquer noted.
The original fire broke out last Monday on the second floor of a 'cité' (apartment complex). During the initial emergency, a woman jumped from the building in an attempt to be rescued, falling onto a firefighter who was battling the flames; both were injured and transported to a medical center.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
