More than 24,000 hectares affected by forest fires in Argentina

Published at: 26/01/2026 01:27 PM

The forest fires recorded in the province of Chubut, in Argentina, have affected more than 24,000 hectares between Los Alerces National Park and Puerto Patriada, areas where operations continue to contain the spread of fire to the northern sectors of the province.

The fire, which began at the end of December in Los Alerces due to lightning, has consumed about 10,000 hectares of mountainous areas covered with forests. Since the beginning of January, another 14,770 hectares have been affected in Puerto Patriada, with spread to Epuyén and El Hoyo, where there has been damage to housing and infrastructure.

More than 500 firefighters, volunteer firefighters and support teams remain deployed on several fronts. The governor of Chubut, Ignacio Torres, announced the arrival of 36 firefighters from Córdoba and Santa Cruz to reinforce operational capacity in the face of climatic variations that make work difficult.

The newspaper Tiempo Argentino reported that the provincial government received and withheld almost 540 million pesos from the fund created by the Forest Law, resources allocated to programs for the management and recovery of native areas. He also indicated that, since March 2024, the executive has withheld around 600,000 dollars sent by international organizations such as the Green Climate Fund and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Environmental organizations and activists warned about the reduction in funding for fire prevention and control policies, which include warning systems, integrated management and actions to reduce the impact of climate change. In addition, they highlighted the need to reinforce public investments in surveillance, training of firefighting equipment, containment infrastructure and support for affected communities.

Mazo News Team