Raging forest fires ripped through Córdoba Province on Monday night, sparking dozens of evacuations and leaving at least two firefighters with severe burns.
In one of four separate outbreaks, flames swept through a woodland area of the town of Villa Carlos Paz, a tourist spot located around 700 kilometres north of Buenos Aires. Fires also hit the town of San Antonio de Arredondo and are spreading towards Falda de Carmen, the local officials said on Tuesday.
Another outbreak is raging at a nature reserve in the region of Unquillo, around 30 kilometres away from Córdoba, they added.
More than 300 firefighters were battling to quench claims on Monday evening, with at least two injured with burns and a third hospitalised for respiratory problems.
A total of 28 people were evacuated, provincial officials said.
Fires have been a major issue in several regions of Argentina over the past few months, with some areas suffering from a lack of rain.
Authorities also believe some fires have been started deliberately. At the end of August, a man was arrested in Capilla del Monte on charges he started an outbreak, which later went on to burn through 30,000 hectares in the the Punilla Valley mountains.
According to a report from the National Fire Management Service, other outbreaks are active in the islands of the Paraná Delta, one of Argentina’s most biodiverse regions, and in the provinces of San Luis and Buenos Aires. Other fires have been contained in Mendoza, Jujuy and Tucumán provinces.
– TIMES/AP/NA
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