After a month of constant struggle, the fires in Chubut have consumed more than 47 thousand hectares, making the province the most affected by the fire in Patagonia.
Now, despite three days of favorable weather conditions that gave a break to the firefighters, the main hotspots remain active.
Moreover, these threaten to reactivate with the return of high temperatures this Friday.
The weather truce allows intensifying the fight against fires in Chubut
In recent days, the light rains, decrease in wind, and moderate temperatures have allowed intensifying the combat tasks against the fires in Chubut.
Thanks to this, this week the air resources carried out water discharges without limitations over the different fronts.
Meanwhile, on the ground, heavy road equipment built firebreaks to hinder the advance of the flames.
However, the main fire hotspots remain active and cause concern throughout Chubut.
The situation remains extremely delicate, especially in areas near Cholila. This locality was the most compromised due to the proximity of the fire fronts.
Forecast generates alerts and hopes
The firefighting agencies are analyzing with concern the forecast for the coming hours. A return of high temperatures and an increase in wind is anticipated for this Friday.
These factors could reactivate the intensity of the fire in Chubut. However, there is a ray of hope in the medium-term forecast.
From the Firefighting System of Chubut, they indicated: “From next Monday and for five days, intense rains and even snow in high areas are expected.” This phenomenon would cause a marked thermal drop.
“We believe that this could be the factor we need to extinguish it completely,” the official sources assured with cautious optimism.
Fires in Chubut: two large unified fronts
The fires in Chubut were divided into two large fronts that became unified during their evolution:
In National Parks jurisdiction:
- Greater activity in Hito and Menéndez lakes
- Punta Mattos-Bahía Rosales
- Bahía Toro (north sector of Futalaufquen lake)
In provincial territory:
- “Primera Cantera” in Puerto Patriada
- Sector Villa Lago Rivadavia – Lago Rivadavia
The operational deployment remains massive, with more than 550 people working on the ground. Resources include water bomber planes, amphibians, and helicopters with helibucket, in addition to heavy machinery.
In the last hours, the relief of firefighters from all over the country was carried out to sustain the fight against the fires.
A month of struggle and reconstruction
This Thursday marked 30 days since the fire that began on January 5 in Puerto Patriada. The flames destroyed 70 homes and forced evacuations in the locality.
After the fire, Puerto Patriada began to recover its tourist activity. The provincial government has already started the reconstruction work on the houses damaged by the fires in Chubut.
The Federal Emergency Agency (AFE) continues coordinating tasks with provincial agencies and National Parks.
The race against time has its hopes set on the rains forecasted for next week.
These precipitations represent the key opportunity to definitively control the fires that have devastated Patagonia throughout this month, with Chubut as the main victim.
