Thirteen dead as Chile forest fires provoke state of disaster

Chile has declared a state of disaster in several central-southern regions after a devastating heat wave sparked forest fires that left at least 13 people dead, authorities said Friday.

More than 100 homes have been affected and 47,000 hectares of forest destroyed since the fires broke out on Wednesday.

"We have to announce that there are 13 deaths in total, 11 in the Santa Juana municipality," head of the Senaprad national disaster agency Mauricio Tapia said.

Two crew members of a helicopter that was fighting the fires died in a crash Friday afternoon, Chile's agriculture minister Esteban Valenzuela said.