Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said Monday that massive forest fires in the Torres del Paine National Park in the south were partially controlled but that half of the park has been burnt.

Pinera said four of the six fire areas were under control, but there is still a lot of work to do to completely control the situation.

More than half of the 230,000-hectare tourist destination has been engulfed in fire, which unfortunately occurred in a zone which is very difficult to approach as a result of difficult topography and strong winds, said the president.

More than 750 people were working on the site, supported by airplanes and helicopters.

During the weekend, separate fires in Biobio and Maule had left one person killed and 500 others evacuated. 

Source: ANTARA