Wildfires across Patagonia have burned more than 36,000 hectares of forest so far this summer, as hundreds of firefighters battle to contain the flames amid what authorities describe as critical weather conditions.
The fire demanding the greatest resources is in Los Alerces National Park, in southern Chubut Province, where at least 10,000 hectares have already been destroyed, according to the reports.
Chubut governor Ignacio Torres said on Saturday that the operation had been stepped up due to adverse weather. Writing on X, he said extreme conditions had forced authorities to intensify efforts on the ground.
“Today, 400 firefighters are working in the area, along with volunteer fire crews, support teams, health personnel and security forces,” he said.
Fifteen aircraft, including water-bombing planes and helicopters, have also been deployed, although dense smoke has limited their effectiveness. Crews are “waiting for visibility to improve,” said Torres.
High temperatures, prolonged drought and strong winds have created a critical scenario, Laura Mirantes, coordinator of the province’s Emergency Operations Centre, told the AFP news agency.
“We are talking about temperatures of 30 degrees, humidity at 20 percent, zero rainfall and wind gusts that will, of course, disrupt and complicate operations,” the official said.
The National Fire Management Service has declared a red alert for extreme wildfire risk in the region until Tuesday.
The Los Alerces fire began on December 9 after a lightning strike and spread slowly at first, before spiralling out of control in recent weeks. This week it crossed the boundaries of the national park and advanced north towards the village of Villa Lago Rivadavia. One home there was destroyed and six families were evacuated as a precaution.
“This is the same problem every year here in Patagonia. A totally out-of-control fire,” said Raúl, a local resident who travelled to help friends in the settlement, which has fewer than 200 inhabitants, told the TN television news channel.
“People get angry with the firefighters, but the lads are stretched to the limit. They give everything they have. And there are fires everywhere,” he added.
Another major blaze in Chubut has affected roughly 22,293 hectares between the rural area of Puerto Patriada and the town of Epuyén, about 54 kilometres north of Villa Lago Rivadavia. As of Saturday, authorities said it was “85 percent contained.”
Other fires in Chubut and the neighbouring province of Santa Cruz, now under control or extinguished, push the total area burned since the start of the southern summer beyond 36,000 hectares.
Across the Andes, Chile is also facing a wave of wildfires in the south of the country.
According to official figures, the fires have so far killed 21 people, burned 42,000 hectares and affected around 20,000 residents, with Biobío, Ñuble and Araucanía the worst-hit regions.
– TIMES/AFP
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