Chile President says wildfires now mostly under control

By The Associated Press

Saturday, Feb. 4, 2017 | 12:30 p.m.

SANTIAGO, Chile — President Michelle Bachelet says the worst wildfires that Chile has suffered in its history are now mostly under control.

Bachelet said Saturday that for the moment there are no new blazes reported "and the rest are mostly controlled."

But she says in her daily briefing on the wildfires "that doesn't mean, however, that we are letting down our guard."

The arrival of rains and dropping of temperatures in recent hours have helped stop the fires from spreading.

Aaron Cavieres is director of Chile's National Forestry Corporation. He says, "we are nearing the end of this mega emergency."

Statistics from the forestry agency say that across the country flames have blackened (over 1 million acres) over a half million hectares during the current fire season that began on July 1.