Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile have left at least 18 people dead, scorched thousands of hectares of forest and destroyed hundreds of homes, local authorities say, as the South American country swelters under a heat wave.

Intense heat and strong winds hampered the efforts of firefighters to extinguish the flames which blazed through 8,500 hectares of land in central and southern Chile

Natural England has ordered its staff not to tackle wildfires over health and safety fears. In an internal memo seen by The Telegraph the Government quango says that if faced with a 50cm flame, employees should instead focus on “reviewing emergency procedures”.

Wildfires in the Argentine Patagonia have burned nearly 12,000 hectares of land, threatening a power plant, a school and rural properties.