More than 100 homes burned by forest fire on the Chilean island of Chiloe

A general view of the remains of houses which were burned following the spread of a wildfire in Castro area, in Chiloe, Chile, December 10, 2021. REUTERS/Alvaro Vidal

More than a hundred homes were burned by a forest fire that spread to the town of Castro on the tourist island of Chiloe, off southern Chile, local officials said on Friday.

The fire was brought under control overnight, although small areas were still smoldering, Interior Ministry official Alejandro Verges said.

"We are removing debris and putting out small remaining sources of fire. Fortunately, overnight it was possible to contain the blaze," Verges said.

Firefighters walk amidst remains of houses which were burned following the spread of a wildfire in Castro area, in Chiloe, Chile, December 10, 2021. REUTERS/Alvaro Vidal

The Chiloe archipelago is located about 1,000 km (600 miles) south of the capital city, Santiago.

(Reporting by Natalia Ramos, writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

A firefighter walks amidst the remains of houses which were burned following the spread of a wildfire in Castro area, in Chiloe, Chile, December 10, 2021. REUTERS/Alvaro Vidal

Firefighters work amidst remains of houses which were burned following the spread of a wildfire in Castro area, in Chiloe, Chile, December 10, 2021. REUTERS/Alvaro Vidal

Firefighters work amidst remains of houses which were burned following the spread of a wildfire in Castro area, in Chiloe, Chile, December 10, 2021. REUTERS/Alvaro Vidal