BUENOS AIRES, Jan 18 (NNN-MERCOPRESS) — Ten Argentine provinces are under alert for wildfire risk, as several fire fronts in Chubut and wider Patagonia have already burned more than 20,000 hectares.
The Federal Emergency Agency of Argentina issued warnings of fire danger not only in the Patagonian provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, Chubut and Santa Cruz, but also in La Pampa, the Cuyo region (San Juan, Mendoza, San Luis), and in the southern reaches of Córdoba and Buenos Aires.
The main blaze began on Jan 5 in Puerto Patriada, near Epuyén and El Hoyo, consuming extensive native forest, brush and grassland along with infrastructure and homes. While several fire sites have been controlled or contained, the active fire at Los Alerces National Park remains a focus of ongoing suppression efforts.
Recent rainfall has helped temper some of the flames, assisting firefighters and emergency crews in better controlling certain fronts, though the threat of renewed activity persists. Officials have credited the work of brigades, firefighters and security forces in difficult conditions.
The response involves hundreds of personnel and aerial support, reflecting the scale of the wildfire emergency, with authorities continuing operations to prevent flare-ups should weather conditions worsen.
Regional cooperation has also come into play, with Chile sending two light aircraft to assist Argentina in combating fires in the Los Alerces area. — NNN-MERCOPRESS