A large fire that burned 150 homes in the historic port city of Valparaiso, Chile has been "practically" brought under control, an official said Tuesday. Monday's fire forced dozens of residents to take refuge in shelters and devoured green hillsides in the Laguna Verde neighbourhood, on the southern outskirts of the colonial city.

"It is practically controlled. We just have to finish off the fire. Once that's done, we'll start clearing the debris and begin rebuilding," said Mayor Gabriel Aldoney. But authorities have warned the weather could complicate matters. High temperatures and strong winds were forecast for Tuesday afternoon in Valparaiso, where it is mid-summer.

Hundreds of fire-fighters were dispatched to battle the blaze Monday, along with water-dumping airplanes and helicopters. The cause of the blaze was not known.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2017