Ravaging wildfires in Chile have burned more than 400 hectares, affected 20 homes and forced 300 people to evacuate, authorities said, in the Chilean commune of Limache, 80 km north-east of Santiago in the Valparaíso region.

Emergency teams together with army personnel and the support of three helicopters and an air tanker have been working since the authorities declared red alert in the area.

Karina Cortés, an evacuated local, said: "It came (the fire, ed) from the slum in front, from there it grabbed the hill from behind and we couldn't do anything."

Daniel Morales, Limache mayor, said: "At 15:20 a red alert was declared in this commune as a result of this fire. More than 200 firefighters from different companies of the region, municipal vehicles, three helicopters, the aerotanker, all of them were deployed."

Morales continued: "Here we had to generate a preventive evacuation, you can see that around the houses we have places that are absolutely burned, this is an irregular occupation zone, therefore it is difficult to access, there is no running water."