‘We are in an era of megafires’: new tactics demanded as wildfires intensify across South America

A man flees an encroaching forest fire in Viña del Mar, Chile on 3 February. Photograph: Esteban Félix/AP

As South America endures unprecedented high temperatures, after the hottest January on record globally, it is still coming to terms with the devastating wildfires that have torn across the continent.

Chile has been the most notably affected country, with at least 131 people dying in a fire that ripped through the coastal Valparaíso region in what has quickly become a national tragedy. Last year, at least 23 people died in summer wildfires in the country.