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At least 70 houses were burned to the ground in a fire of unknown origin in the western Medellin suburb of Alto de la Virgen on Wednesday evening.
A loud explosion was heard before the fire began to engulf the suburb.
Panic and disorder in the neighborhood made it hard for firefighters and emergency services workers from Colombia’s second city to help. High temperatures caused several gas pipes in the area to explode.
Authorities finally managed to bring the blaze under control around midnight.
The same suburb was devastated by a fire in 2007, when 81 homes were destroyed.
Authorities remain on the scene to analyze the situation and attend to those affected.
