Chile battles to combat forest fires amid threat to residents

A volunteer works during a wildfire at the 'Santa Rosa de Colmo' area, in Valparaiso, Chile, December 11, 2022. Felipe Benavides/Vina del Mar Firefighters/Handout via REUTERS

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chile is battling to control the spread of several wildfires that have already destroyed more than 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) of woodlands and are putting local communities at risk.

Central regions including the Santiago metropolitan area, Valparaiso, O'Higgins and Maule are on red alert, with nine active fires currently being fought, data from the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) showed on Monday.