Over 100 houses gutted in Chilean wildfires

Santiago, Dec 25 (IANS) Wildfires raging across the coastal Chilean city of Valparaiso have destroyed 120 houses, prompting a mass evacuation, officials said on Wednesday.Valparaiso, in central Chile, is a popular tourist destination in South America.Valparaiso Mayor Jorge Sharp told Canal 24 Horas that the fires had been started "intentionally". There have been no reports of any casualties, BBC reported.All the city's firefighters were pressed into service to contain the inferno in the Rocuant and San Roque areas. Meanwhile, about 90,000 people faced power outage in these areas as a precautionary measure."At the moment, emergency teams from all over Valparaiso are working, using land and air resources, in two areas in the higher part of the city," Sharp said.He added that strong winds and high temperatures were exacerbating the situation. Reports claimed that nearly 445 acres of grassland have already been ravaged by the blaze.
--IANS sdr/kr