Two dead, 400 homes damaged in Chilean seaside resort town fire

At least two people died and some 400 homes have been damaged or destroyed in a fire that broke out in the Chilean seaside resort of Vina del Mar, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency.

The flames, fanned by strong gusts of wind, spread from the upper areas of town down ravines and hills in the span of just a few hours to the lowest and most inhabited sections of the city, located some 120 kilometers from Santiago.

The blaze, which has already burned some 110 hectares, has a "rapid spread, high heat intensity and dispersion," the National Emergency Office (Onemi) said.

Several neighbourhoods and one informal settlement were ordered evacuated.

President Gabriel Boric's administration declared a state of emergency in light of the fire's ferocity.

President Gabriel Boric arrived at Vina del Mar on Friday afternoon to head an emergency meeting and visit affected areas.

"They can rest assured that we will not abandon them," the president said, underscoring the need to redouble prevention efforts at the start of a particularly hot, dry Southern Hemisphere summer.

"In our country we are standing on a powder keg. What happened (in Vina del Mar) could happen elsewhere," he said.

Four hundred firefighters and 150 forest rangers are fighting the fire, alongside several units from the Santiago metropolitan region.

The city's fire commander, Patricio Brito, confirmed the deaths of two people and revised the number of damaged homes from 200 to 400.