Dozens of wildfires in Chile have claimed at least 23 lives, forcing the government to extend an emergency order to another region as a scorching summer heatwave complicates efforts to control the blazes.

“Weather conditions have made it very difficult to put out [the fires] that are spreading and the emergency is getting worse,” the interior minister, Carolina Tohá, said.

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

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

A person walks along a road in Santa Juana in Chile’s Biobío region as smoke from wildfires fills the air.

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