Chile firefighters battle blazes as amid warning that wildfires could get worse

Fires have burned 270,000 hectares and killed 24 in south-central region as mega drought fuels second worst fire year on record

Chilean firefighters are battling to hold back forest fires as authorities warned that persistent hot and dry weather could potentially exacerbate what are already the deadliest blazes in the country’s recent history.

The fires, which have consumed 270,000 hectares (667,000 acres) of land, have killed 24 people so far in south-central Chile, and already made 2023 the second worst year in terms of hectares burned after the so-called “fire storm” that hit the country in 2017.