Victims of a fire that destroyed almost 200 households in a suburb of the central Colombian city of Medellin on Wednesday are receiving food and shelter from the local government and aid agencies, reported Colombian media on Friday.
According to authorities the fire, which ravaged the city’s Altos de la Virgen neighborhood in the early hours of Wednesday morning, left 729 people without homes of possessions.
Medellin’s local government said that it will provide victims with food and shelter for three days, whilst plans are made for their relocation.
Independent aid agency Red Social has suggested that families move into hostels and motels, or rent homes, until a more suitable option for relocation is discovered.
Since Thursday relief agencies have been receiving donations for victims in the city’s Lola Gonzalez Institution and the Red Cross centre in Guayabal. Donations can be made between 8 AM and 6 PM. Authorities stress that they will only receive items such as blankets, sheets, mattresses and new clothes for men, women and children.
Visiting the area, Medellin’s mayor Alonso Salazar Jaramillo assured residents that the police would investigate the cause of the fire. Many locals have claimed that the blaze was started deliberately with criminal intent.