Deadly fire destroys homes in Chile

A large forest fire has killed four people and destroyed more than 500 homes in Chile’s port cityValparaiso.Thousands of people are being evacuated from thecity to escape the flames, which have been fanned by strong winds coming in from the Pacific.President Michelle Bachelet put the army in chargeof the evacuation after declaring the city, 110km (70 miles) west of Santiago, a disaster zone.Many residents of the city are said to be suffering from smoke inhalation.Large parts of Valparaiso are without electricity.Those killed in the fire were three men and a woman, according to Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo.Volunteer firefighters found the charred remains oftwo elderly people on a street in the port area, Chilean navy Admiral Julio Leiva said without giving further details.The city’s mayor, Jorge Castro, told Chile’s National Television that refuges have been set up for the thousands of residents that have been forced to flee the fire.“Valparaiso is without electricity at the moment and this means the flame column is creating a Dante-esque panorama and is advancing in an apparently uncontrollable manner,” Castro said.The battle to contain the blaze has been hamperedby strong Pacific coast winds that have pushed the fire deeper into the city’s neighbourhoods.“The weather is complicating the situation,” emergency official Guillermo de la Mazza told reporters. “The wind is not doing us any favours. The evacuation is our top priority, along with controlling the fire itself.”