Chile’s government has extended an emergency order to another region, as a scorching summer heat wave complicates efforts to control wildfires that have claimed at least 23 lives so far.

More than 1,100 people have sought refuge in shelters while at least 979 people have been reported injured by the raging fires, according to an official briefing on Saturday.

The latest emergency order covers the southern region of Araucania, next to the previously declared Biobio and Nuble regions, near the middle of the South American country’s long Pacific coastline.

“Weather conditions have made it very difficult to put out (the fires) that are spreading and the emergency is getting worse,” Interior Minister Carolina Toha told reporters at a news conference in the capital Santiago.

She said that on Friday 76 more fires had ignited.

Another 16 fires sparked to life on Saturday, according to officials, as local temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius.

The sparsely populated three regions covered by the emergency orders are home to many farms, including where grapes, apples and berries are grown for export, plus extensive tracts of forest land.

Officials told reporters on Saturday that the governments of Spain, the United States, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil and Venezuela have offered help, including planes and firefighters.

On Friday, an emergency-support helicopter in La Araucania crashed, killing its pilot and a mechanic, according to officials.

Authorities reported that 11 of the victims, or nearly half of the casualties reported so far, died in the town of Santa Juana in Biobio, located around 500 km south of Santiago.

Since late last week, helicopters have dropped fire retardant over raging fires as billowing clouds of smoke obstruct roadways. 

National forestry agency CONAF reported on Saturday that 80 of 231 total wildfires are being actively battled, while 151 of them are under control.

Officials said that over 90 per cent of the wildfires have been smothered before they spread beyond 5 hectares.

On Friday, President Gabriel Boric cut short his summer vacation and travelled to Nuble and Biobio, pledging to make sure the affected areas receive all necessary support.

Boric also pointed to “signs” that some fires may have been started intentionally, but did not provide any additional details.

By Fabian Cambero and Natalia A. Ramos Miranda in Santiago