As 6,000 hectares of native forests was consumed by fire without control in the Chubut provincePatagonia region in the Southern Argentinawhile Firefighters are battling another outbreak in an important one Nature reserve near the tourist town of BarilocheThe authorities reported this on Tuesday.
In Chubut, strong winds and high temperatures have fueled flames in Los Alerces National Park, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its biodiversity. Thousands of hectares of native forests have been burning there since January 25 and the fire is not yet under control. The state government believes that the attack was started deliberately.
The advance of the flames forced the preventive evacuation of about six families living in nearby rural areas, while the fire front lies seven kilometers from the mountain town of Esquel, home to 35,000 people, the provincial fire service reported.
“Today (Tuesday) work is underway in nine different sectors to fight the flames,” Laura Mirantes, secretary of the provincial civic association, told El Chubut FM radio station.
The weather makes the tasks of the brigade members more difficult. The Meteorological Service estimated that relative humidity is 30% and no major rainfall is expected over the next few days. This is followed by strong winds and very high temperatures.
The Chubut Fire Management Service reported that about 6,000 hectares of native forests, shrubs and grasslands were burning as of Tuesday.
Fire hydrant planes, helicopters, reconnaissance drones and road vehicles are fighting the flames in collaboration with brigade members from other provinces, forming a team of 400 soldiers.
In addition, another fire broke out in Nahuel Huapi National Park – one of Argentina’s first nature reserves – in the neighboring province of Río Negro, a difficult-to-access, forest-covered foothill area of Patagonia near the tourist resort of San Carlos de Bariloche.
The focus is on the southern part of the park, in the Brazo Tristeza area, which can only be reached by boat across the lakes.
The authorities assume that the fire was caused by the recklessness of the campers. The second fire occurred on Monday night 200 hectares. AFP