Wildfires threaten areas in Chile under state of emergency

<p>Chile is under a state of emergency as more than a dozen large wildfires threaten towns in the centre and south of the country.</p> <p>A heat wave and high winds are fueling the flames, which have already scorched 50,000 hectares of land.</p> <p>The military is helping firefighters and forestry workers, with helicopters and planes called in.</p> <p>But residents are being forced to defend their own properties in some areas and crops and vineyards are also being wiped out. </p> <p>Smoke from the fires has created a thick haze over a wide area.</p>