Thirteen people die as forest fires rage in southern Chile

Santiago-sana

Thirteen people have been killed, as a result of the raging forest fires in Chile, which also affected 35,000 acres due to a summer heat wave sweeping the country.

Reuters quoted local authorities as saying that 11 people, including a firefighter, died in the town of Santa Juana in Biobio, south of the capital, Santiago, while two people were killed, as a result of an emergency support helicopter crash in the southern region of La Araucanía.

Interior Minister Carolina Toha said: Hundreds of homes were damaged, while 39 fires broke out across the country.