Thousands of people have been evacuated as a serious forest fire spread quickly on Chile's coast and threatened to reach the nearby port cities of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar.
Officials said the fire began at an illegal rubbish dump in the afternoon and flames were spread quickly by high winds, leading authorities to declare a state of catastrophe in the area.
Chile's deputy interior secretary Mahmud Aleuy said that about 4,500 people in six neighbourhoods had been evacuated as flames advanced nearby, and that an additional 10,000 might need to be moved.
The interior ministry said a 67-year-old woman had died of cardio-respiratory causes. Firefighters reported at least 10 people had been injured.
Chile’s emergency office estimated that about 300 hectares (about 740 acres) had been affected thus far.
Urban fire
Chile suffered its worst urban fire in the same general area, in April 2014, when a blaze that started as a forest fire leaped from hilltop to hilltop in Valparaiso, killing 15 people, injuring more than 500 and destroying more than 2,900 homes.
The city, which was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 2003, is known for colourful neighbourhoods on hills so steep that people use stairs rather than streets.
PA