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At least 120 homes affected by wildfire in hills over Chile city, government says

Click to play video: 'Fire in Chilean city of Valparaíso destroys about 50 homes, say firefighters'
Fire in Chilean city of Valparaíso destroys about 50 homes, say firefighters
WATCH: A fire in a poor neighbourhood of the coastal Chilean city of Valparaíso destroyed dozens of houses on Tuesday and firefighters struggled to control the blaze, authorities said – Dec 25, 2019

The federal government in Chile declared an alert Tuesday over a wildfire that had damaged dozens of homes on the outskirts of the port city of Valparaiso.

News video showed large tongues of flames along the hills overlooking the city. People walked through smoke carrying bags and even pets.

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire following the spread of wildfires in Valparaiso, Chile, Dec. 24, 2019. Rodrigo Garrido / REUTERS

The National Forestry Commission of the Agriculture Ministry said on Twitter that at least 100 hectares were burned by afternoon and people had been evacuated from the area.

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Firefighters from Valparaiso and Vina del Mar were being aided by helicopters and airplanes in battling the blaze.

Click to play video: 'Chile declares red alert as forest fires burn over five hectares'
Chile declares red alert as forest fires burn over five hectares

Agriculture Minister Antonio Walker said late in the day that at least 120 homes had been affected by the fire.

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