A fire consumed at least 5 hectares of vegetation on Thursday night on the southern slope of San Cristóbal Hill, without affecting the area of the Metropolitan Zoo or the park's Funicular.

The fire started at about 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, near the funicular sector, so 19 units and more than 120 volunteer firefighters worked in the emergency, along with Conaf brigades and personnel from the Metropolitan Park.

According to Conaf, it is estimated that 5 hectares of vegetation were affected by the fire, something that has yet to be confirmed, due to the fact that the fire is still active and the difficulty in making the calculations due to the topography of the sector.

The agency added that during the early hours of the morning two night brigades will work to control the emergency.

Regarding the origin of the fire, the authorities stressed that there have been at least three different foci and did not rule out intentionality, but that it is something that must be investigated.

"We have received some images that this fire could have an intentional character. As soon as the outbreaks were detected quickly, both the brigade, located in the park, and the one we have in Conaf went to try to control the outbreak," said Christian Little, CONAF director.

The fire even caused a power outage in the area where there are several telecommunication antennas, which in the first instance could generate connection problems for users in downtown Santiago.

From the Metropolitan Park, they indicated that the animals of the Zoo of the sector are in good condition and protected from the fire.

"The fire is being controlled thanks to the work of the Forestry Brigade, Conaf and Firefighters. For the peace of mind of our visitors, the animals of the Zoo are in good condition and protected," explained Parquemet in X.