Forest fire cuts across Chilean Patagonia

The fire has already burned 32 square miles of the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, says President Sebastian Pinera.

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Chilean Government
An aerial view of the national park in Chile where an out-of-control fire is burning.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera says an out-of-control fire has already burned 32 square miles of a national park in the nation's south, and it has prompted the evacuation of 400 tourists.

The president interrupted a summer vacation to meet with top aides on Friday about how to respond to the conflagration at the Torres del Paine National Park, which receives tens of thousands of foreign visitors each year.

He says "the terrain in the area is extraordinarily rough and that enormously complicates access and work." Gusts as strong as 70 mph also have fanned the fire.

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