SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Shifting winds caused flames to sweep over a group of firefighters battling wildfires in Chile on Thursday, killing six of them, badly burning two and leaving another missing.

A 10th firefighter listed as missing after his brigade was trapped in the flames was later found unhurt, said Gov. Miguel Mellado of Cautin, a state about 450 miles (730 kilometers) south of the capital, Santiago.

Nearly 50 wildfires have sprung up in southern Chile, destroying hundreds of houses, forcing the evacuations of thousands of people and causing millions of dollars in damage to the forestry and tourism industries that fuel the economy in the country's Patagonia region.