A fire broke out in the forest. Central Chile At least 51 people were killed on Saturday as emergency crews tried to put out the blazes that raged through urban areas.

According to the authorities, the death toll is expected to increase. Interior Minister Karolina Tuha said the information showed the region was “going to reach very high numbers” in the coming hours. Toha said 92 forest fires are burning in the center and south of the country.

Black smoke filled the skies over much of Valparaiso as firefighters used helicopters and trucks to battle the blaze. The worst of the fires were in the Valparaiso region, where thousands of people were forced to evacuate their homes. Four hospitals and three nursing homes in the Valparaiso area had to be evacuated, Toha said.

Three shelters were set up in the Valparaíso area while 19 helicopters and more than 450 firefighters were brought to the area to help. Fight the fireToha said.

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Chilean officials said areas around the coastal tourist city of Viña del Mar were the worst affected by the fire, and aid teams were struggling to reach all affected areas. The fire was burning in hard-to-reach mountains, including neighborhoods built on the edge of Viña del Mar.

In Villa Independencia, a hilltop neighborhood on Viña del Mar’s eastern edge, several blocks of homes and businesses were destroyed. Burnt cars with broken windows were seen on the streets covered in ash.

“Valparaiso’s condition is critical,” Toha said, noting that it is The country’s worst disaster About 500 people have died since the 2010 earthquake.

President Gabriel Bork told the nation in a televised address that the situation was “really very difficult.”

“If you are asked to evacuate, do not hesitate to do so,” he said. “The fires are growing fast and weather conditions have made them difficult to contain. High temperatures, high winds and low humidity.”

At least 1,100 homes were destroyed in the fire, officials said.

The fire also destroyed two bus terminals and officials reported power outages as a result of the fire.

Forest fires are not uncommon in Chile during the summer months. Last year’s record heat wave killed more than 25 people and affected more than 400,000 hectares, or 990,000 acres.

“The area of ​​the fire today is much smaller than last year, (but) the number of affected hectares is growing very quickly,” Toha said.

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Between Friday and Saturday, the area affected by the wildfire increased from 30,000 hectares to 43,000 hectares, or 110,000 acres.

The biggest concern, Toha said, is that some active fires are spreading too close to urban areas “with a high potential to affect people, homes and facilities.”