Raging Wildfires Destroy Thousands of Acres of Chilean Forests

“Red Alert” declared in Santiago metropolitan region as Massive wildfires burn out of control

At least six major fires have destroyed more than 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of forest in Melipilla, 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of the Chilean capital Santiago, officials said.

National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry (ONEMI) has declared a red alert in the Santiago metropolitan region (population: 6.7 million) due to the raging fires and other incidents that have impacted the mountainous regions near the capital.

Fanned by strong winds and high temperatures, the fires were burning out of control for a third day on Wednesday.

More than 2,000 fire crews have been deployed to the fire zones. Evacuations were underway as of posting.