SANTIAGO, Chile — A wildfire raged through a residential area on the outskirts of the Chilean city of Valparaíso, prompting evacuation orders and destroying more than 200 homes by Wednesday, Chile’s interior minister said.

The blaze, which started on Tuesday, was only partly under control by Wednesday, but had begun to shift from populated areas to forested land, the interior minister, Gonzalo Blumel, said. There were no reports of casualties as residents had been evacuated.

The mayor of Valparaíso, Jorge Sharp, told local news outlets early Wednesday that there were indications that the fire had been set on purpose.

“This fire presents characteristics of evident intentionality,” Mr. Sharp told the national television station, citing the fact that fire appeared to start in several places at around the same time.