Santiago, Nov 4 (IANS): A massive forest fire in central Chile's Maule region has ravaged at least 3,600 hectares of land, damaged several homes and is yet to be brought under control, authorities said.

The fire, which has been burning since Monday in the communes of Molina and Rio Claro, some 200 km south of the capital Santiago, presents a threat to nearby homes, Xinhua news agency quoted the country's National Forestry Corporation as saying in a statement.

While "the fire is generally of low intensity and spreading slowly", aerial firefighting has been hampered "due to thermal inversion" preventing the smoke from dissipating, the statement said.

The flames have damaged eight houses and destroyed two warehouses, according to the latest report from the National Emergency Office of the Ministry of the Interior and Public Safety.

Military forces, private forestry brigades and government institutions have been working together to combat the blaze.