The fires, often started by farmers burning brush to clear land, have consumed over 1,000 hectares of farmland and destroyed around 100 homes. (EPA Images pic)LIMA: Forest fires fuelled by El Nino have killed 12 people and left hundreds homeless in Peru since June, authorities in the Andean country said Wednesday.
Most of the victims were farmers who died of injuries sustained trying to fight the flames, the National Emergency Operations Center, which goes by the Spanish acronym COEN, said.
The worst-affected region was Cusco, where a fire broke out close to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu earlier this month.
A total of 457 forest fires were recorded in Peru between June and October.
