Hotel Fire at Chile's Nevados de Chillán Forces Ski Resort to Suspend Operations

A hotel at a popular Chilean ski resort caught fire unexpectedly over the weekend.

Footage from the incident showed flames and smoke billowing from the roof of the Hotel Alto Nevados at Nevados De Chillán, a popular ski resort, on September 6, 2026. The fire was initially reported around 5 p.m. on Sunday, when flames originated on the top floor of the hotel.

The blaze spread rapidly down the structure, which stood five stories tall, as hotel management activated emergency protocols and evacuated roughly 150 guests and staff members. Luckily, no injuries or fatalities were reported.

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A video of the fire is available here.

The resort released a statement the same day on social media, stating that there was no risk of the fire spreading to other facilities or nearby areas and that the resort was working with the Las Trencas Fire Department to control and extinguish it. Nevados de Chillán also reported that they were working to coordinate with the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service to implement appropriate preventative measures.

“We sincerely appreciate the expressions of concern and support we have received. We will continue to provide timely updates through our official channels as confirmed information regarding the situation’s development becomes available. We ask our community to remain calm, rely solely on official sources for information, and avoid spreading unconfirmed reports or rumors. We extend our special thanks to the emergency teams working at the site for their efforts and commitment,” concluded the first statement.

Later, the resort released a second statement announcing that it would suspend all operations on Monday, September 7, due to significant infrastructure damage to the Hotel Alto Nevados, the Plaza Otto area, and the surrounding grounds.

“Our teams are currently fully focused on managing the emergency, assessing the damage, reorganizing our priorities, and taking the urgent actions required by this situation.
Given these challenging circumstances—and with the aim of ensuring the well-being of our community, staff, and visitors—we have decided to suspend operations at Nevados de Chillán for tomorrow, Monday, September 7. Consequently, the Ski Center and the Thermal Water Park will remain closed tomorrow. Valle Hermoso will operate as usual.

We know this is a difficult time for everyone in our mountain community. We deeply appreciate the understanding, respect, and support shown by our community as we deal with this emergency,” read the post.

A third update on September 7 reported that the situation was completely under control and all guests, staff, and team members were safe. At the time of the update, relevant authorities were assessing damage and conducting an investigation of the site of the fire. The resort planned to reopen unaffected areas on Tuesday, September 8, including Hotel Nevados, Valle Hermoso, and the Ski Center. The source of the fire has not yet been reported.

At the time of the incident, a group of 40 Masters Alpine Ski racers, coaches, and travel companions were staying at the Hotel Alto Nevados for a South American Masters Race Camp, ahead of the FIS Masters races. When the fire started, most of the individuals in the group left their rooms with only the clothes on their backs, leaving behind all their clothing and ski gear. Nearly half the group was unable to salvage items like wallets, passports, cash, and medications while fleeing the building as it filled with smoke.

A fundraiser has been launched to help members of the group cover unexpected costs resulting from the fire and replace belongings. Nearly $6k of the targeted $20,00k had been raised within the first 20 hours of the fundraiser.

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