After almost two weeks, hundreds of firefighters are still fighting against the fires in El Bolsón at this time. The situation is not improving and it has already caused the death of one person, as well as 1000 evacuees and the destruction of more than 3600 hectares and about 150 houses.
The flames are spreading fueled by strong winds, extreme heat, and dry weather that has been affecting the region in recent days. During Sunday night, a brief storm brought relief to the locals and authorities, but it barely affected the intensity of the fire.
Fires in El Bolsón: firefighters’ work continues
The destroyed houses were mostly surrounded by forests that are in the path of the flames, and authorities fear that the fires are getting closer to the urban area.
The deceased man was trapped in the Mallín Ahogado area, one of the most affected areas. He had managed to escape the fire, but returned to feed his dogs and couldn’t escape.
Authorities in the province of Río Negro, where El Bolsón is located, suspect that the fire was intentional. In recent days, several people were arrested and later released by a judge due to lack of evidence.
The fire started on January 30th when a smoke column was detected in the area known as Loma de los Piches near the confluence of the Blanco and Azul rivers.
It is the third large fire spreading in Patagonia during the summer season, following the one that affected Nahuel Huapi National Park and the one in the town of Epuyén that burned forests and about fifty houses.
Forest fires: affected hectares in each locality
So far, in El Bolsón, more than 3500 hectares have been burned, in Corrientes around 250,000 hectares, in Nahuel Huapi National Park over 10,000, and in Epuyén another 6000.
In that province, they are working to combat the fires with two water bomber planes, a helicopter, and two brigades from the Northeast National Fire Management System, firefighters, Civil Defense agents, and provincial firefighting teams.
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