At least 19 dead in Chile as forest fires approach densely populated central areas

Smoke rises from burnt-out houses after a forest fire reached Villa Independencia neighbourhood in Vina del Mar, Chile (Esteban Felix/AP)

ALEXANDRE PLAZA and PATRICIA LUNA, Associated Press

Intense forest fires burning around a densely populated area of central Chile have left at least 19 people dead and destroyed about 1,100 homes, officials said Saturday.

Chile’s Interior Minister Carolina Tohá said there were currently 92 forest fires burning in the center and south of the country, where temperatures have been unusually high this week.