SANTIAGO (NYTIMES) – A wildfire raged through a residential area on the outskirts of the Chilean city of Valparaiso, prompting evacuation orders and destroying more than 200 homes by Wednesday (Dec 25), Chile’s interior minister said.

The blaze, which started on Tuesday, was only partly under control by Wednesday, but had begun to shift from populated areas to forested land, the interior minister, Mr Gonzalo Blumel, said. There were no reports of casualties as residents had been evacuated.

The mayor of Valparaiso, Mr Jorge Sharp, told local news outlets early Wednesday that there were indications that the fire had been set on purpose.

“This fire presents characteristics of evident intentionality,” Mr Sharp told the national television station, citing the fact that fire appeared to start in several places at around the same time.

The fire’s rapid spread was worsened by steady winds and warm, dry weather that came as the country experienced its worst drought on record, according to government officials.

“2019 has been the year with the least rainfall in history, as far as records show, and it has worsened over the past few months, beyond all our expectations,” said Mr Alfredo Moreno, the minister of public works, in a news conference last week.

Wildfires, which are exacerbated by climate change, have caused widespread destruction in Australia, Brazil, the United States and other countries this year.

Valparaiso is a port city in central Chile filled with vividly painted homes that line its hillside streets. It has seen large fires in years past, including one that left 12 dead in 2014.

Photos taken in the city on Tuesday showed homes engulfed in flames.

The affected area includes some of the city’s poorest neighbourhoods, where the rugged topography and narrow, winding roads make access difficult for firefighters.

The roads in some of the affected neighbourhoods are unpaved and homes can lack running water. The municipal government sends trucks with water to supply residents a couple of times a week. The housing can be precarious, made of tin, cardboard or wood.

In a post on Twitter early Wednesday, Mr Sharp said city officials had declared an emergency in the local area to “facilitate debris removal and reconstruction”.

“In addition, we will file a complaint against those who are responsible for the obvious intentionality of this fire,” the mayor wrote.

Two shelters were set up for those displaced by the fire, according to a statement from city officials.

Chile’s president, Mr Sebastian Pinera, said in a statement posted on his Twitter account that emergency responders were working “tirelessly” to combat the blaze.

“We deeply regret the fire that affects so many families in the hills of Valparaiso and especially on Christmas Eve,” he said.

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