Chilean President Surveys Devastating Wildfires

Chilean President Gabriel Boric flies on board a helicopter over the Valparaiso region, hit by devastating wildfires that have claimed at least 19 lives, according to the Interior Minister.

Authorities warned the toll is likely to climb as responders comb through burnt-out homes and the flames continue to spread.

Wildfires blazing across central and southern Chile have left at least 19 people dead, officials said, warning the toll was likely to climb as responders comb through burnt-out homes and the flames continue to spread.

President Gabriel Boric has decreed a state of emergency "due to catastrophe" over the fires, as dry conditions in the area and temperatures soaring to 40 degrees Celsius exacerbate the crisis.

The blazes are concentrated in the Valparaiso tourist region, along central Chile's coastline, where they have ravaged thousands of hectares of forest, cloaked coastal cities in a dense fog of gray smoke and forced people to flee their homes.

"There are 19 people dead," Interior Minister Carolina Toha said, noting that the toll is "very provisional" because responders have not yet been able to enter some affected areas.

She said there were 92 active fires, with 43,000 hectares burned across the country.

"The priority is on the fires in the Valparaiso region because of their proximity to urban areas, where we have several fires," said Toha.

The area, about 1.5 hours northwest of the capital Santiago, is a popular tourist destination during the hot summer months.

In the towns of Estrella and Navidad, southwest of the capital, the fires have burned nearly 30 homes, and forced evacuations near the surfing resort of Pichilemu.

In addition to Valparaiso, firefighters and emergency services personnel are battling 10 outbreaks affecting regions in the center and south of the country, including O'Higgins, Maule, Biobio, La Araucania and Los Lagos.