Wildfires in Chile have destroyed an area of more than 750 hectares. Wildfires are becoming so destructive that they have destroyed nearby homes and threatened farms and other small forests. Due to this terrible fire, people are facing a heat wave in the southern and central regions of Chile.

The fire near the city of Chillan, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the capital Santiago, has so far covered an area of about 550 hectares, almost three times the size of Monaco, according to the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf). It added that about 200 hectares have also been destroyed in another part of the Nubal region.

The house of Juan Pradenas, a local mechanic who lost tools due to the fire, was destroyed by the fire. He said that it seems that your life is over. At my age, I had to start fighting again to get my equipment back, I lost all my working equipment due to fire.

The fire reached us in the blink of an eye, said Rosa Torres, who lives near Chillan. The fire was devastating, we could see it from afar and then the wind changed and in the blink of an eye it was up to us. Chile's Ministry of the Interior has declared a red alert for the Nublar region and the Biobio region further south. 

The ministry has temporarily closed seven national parks in Santiago and some southern regions of Chile due to the risk of fire. The government also fears that Puelche – a phenomenon of hot, dry air that is expected to hit central and southern Chile soon – will pose challenges to a region that has already recorded temperatures of 42 °C (108 °F).