Santiago, Feb 8 (AP) Chile's President Gabriel Boric on Saturday issued state of emergency decrees for two regions in the centre and south of the country due to the threat of raging wildfires.

He said the measures for Nuble and Maule, which are aimed at saving forests, fields, homes and human life, would include curfews to allow the authorities to tackle possible criminal acts.

Also Read | It’s a Girl! Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip, Princess Sofia Announce Birth of Their First Daughter.

Speaking at a press conference at the presidential palace, Boric said he has “reasons to believe that a large part of the fires that affect the Araucanía area today (south of capital Santiago) are deliberate.”

“We are not going to tolerate the vile behaviour of a person or organisation that carries out these types of acts,” said Boric.

Also Read | China: Woman Stages Fake Wedding With 'Rich' Man, Defrauds Relatives of INR 12.8 Crore in Shanghai.

Local authorities say there are about 15 active fire outbreaks in Chile currently, which have been aggravated by weather temperatures above 40 Celsius degrees (104 Fahrenheit).

More than 60 arrests have been made recently in connection with forest fires in the Araucanía area, according to local authorities.

Dozens of people were killed last year and over 1,000 homes were destroyed due to forest fires in the Valparaiso region. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)