Raging wildfires in Chile have killed at least 51 people and the death toll is likely to continue to rise as emergency workers battle blazes threatening urban areas.
Thousands of people were forced to flee and the fires destroyed hundreds of homes, sending black smoke billowing over many parts of the central Valparaiso region and causing power outages.
Four hospitals and three nursing homes were also evacuated.
More than 450 firefighters have been recruited and 19 helicopters deployed to try to tackle the outbreak Chilean.
The areas around the coastal tourist city of Viña del Mar, located about 75 miles (122 kilometers) from the capital Santiago, were among the worst-hit areas as rescue teams struggled to reach all affected communities.
Referring to the death toll, Interior Minister Carolina Toha said: “We will reach much higher numbers.
She added that “Valparaíso's situation is the most sensitive,” and warned that the country was facing the worst disaster since the 2010 earthquake, which killed about 500 people.
The biggest concern, she said, is that some fires are spreading close to urban areas “with a very high probability of impacting people, homes and facilities.”
“The situation is really very difficult,” President Gabriel Buric said in a nationally televised address.
He urged Chileans to cooperate with rescue workers.
He added: “If you are asked to evacuate, do not hesitate to do so.”
He added, “The fires are advancing rapidly, and the weather conditions have made it difficult to control them. There are high temperatures, strong winds, and low humidity.”
In Villa Independencia, a hillside neighborhood on the eastern edge of Vina del Mar, flames swept through properties and businesses and destroyed cars, leaving streets choked with ash.
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“I've been here for 32 years, and I never imagined this would happen,” said Rolando Fernandez, a resident who had to flee for his life and lose his home to the rising flames.
“I've worked all my life, and now I have nothing left.”
The El Niño climate phenomenon has caused droughts and higher-than-normal temperatures in western South America this year, increasing the risk of forest fires.
In January, more than 42,000 acres (17,000 hectares) of forest in Colombia were destroyed by fires that followed several weeks of dry weather.
