Chile wildfires leave 19 dead amid extreme heat as scores evacuated

Wildfires in Chile have killed at least 19 people, authorities said on Monday, as the government carried out mass evacuations and fought over 30 blazes exacerbated by intense heat and high winds.



While weather conditions overnight helped control some fires, the largest were still active, with adverse conditions expected throughout the day, Security Minister Luis Cordero said at a news briefing on Monday.



"The projection we have today is of high temperatures," Cordero said, and the main worry was that new fires would be triggered throughout the region.



Parts of central and southern Chile were under extreme heat warnings with temperatures expected to reach up to 37 Celsius (99 Fahrenheit).