A fire at a nursing home in southern Chile has killed 16 elderly residents and left 10 others hospitalised.

The blaze broke out late on Friday at the El Eden care home in Pitrufquen, in the Araucania region, approximately 640 kilometres south of the capital, Santiago. Twenty-six elderly people were inside the facility when the fire started.

Firefighters extinguished the flames early on Saturday morning. On Saturday, crews continued removing debris and collapsed corrugated metal roofing while police cordoned off the area.

The cause of the fire remains unknown. Local prosecutor Jorge Granada said investigators were examining the scene and questioning witnesses to determine how the blaze began and whether anyone else was involved.

Regional health official Jose Bravo said the facility had a history of regulatory problems, describing it as an unregulated operation that had been subject to administrative proceedings and fines since 2019.

Pitrufquen Mayor Jacqueline Romero said the municipality had sent a letter in February specifically requesting an inspection because the facility was not complying with regulations and was subject to sanitary enforcement proceedings.

"In February, the municipality had sent a letter specifically calling for an inspection because the facility was not in compliance with regulations - it was subject to sanitary enforcement proceedings," Romero told local networks.

"It is a situation that fills our souls with great sorrow and pain. We have been providing support to the families," Romero added.

Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast said he had ordered urgent measures to assess conditions at nursing homes nationwide and identify changes needed to prevent a similar incident.

"We will fully collaborate with the justice system to clarify what happened, determine where failures may have existed in oversight or prevention, identify what alerts were raised and what actions were taken in response to them," Kast said.

"We need to know the truth and, based on that, correct whatever is necessary to do everything possible to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again," the president added.

The fire comes less than a week after a blaze broke out at Chile's Hotel Alto Nevados, where FIS Masters Alpine Skiing World Cup racers were staying for a preseason training camp.