Argentina: Patagonia forest fires continue despite tireless brigades’ efforts

teleSUR English

Forest fires persist in Argentine Patagonia, where local firefighters, brigades, and volunteers have been battling the flames since January 5. Residents of the affected areas denounce the lack of support from the national government, stressing that its resources would be essential to confront fires of this magnitude. The situation highlights both the resilience of local communities and the urgent need for coordinated national assistance. Our colleague Aien Nesci reports from the scene.    #teleSUREnglish #Argentina #Patagonia #ForestFires #Volunteers #Firefighters #ClimateCrisis

Transcript

00:00Forest fires continue in Argentina.

00:03In Patagonia, firefighters, brigades and volunteers from the area

00:06have been working tirelessly since the first fire broke out on January 5.

00:11The population of the affected areas complains that it is not receiving help from the national government,

00:16whose resources would be essential to combat fires of this magnitude.

00:20Our colleague Ayem Nechi shares the details with us.

00:24Forest fires in Argentina and Patagonia continue, especially in the province of Chubut.

00:33New active fires were also reported in Los Glaciares National Park in Santa Cruz

00:38and in Lanin National Park in the province of Necuen.

00:41There are over 355 firefighters and rescue workers operating in the area

00:44alongside local residents and volunteers who are organizing themselves to fight the flames

00:48that have already destroyed more than 5,000 hectares,

00:51where there were trees up to 2,500 years old, thousands of people evacuated,

00:55hundreds of dead animals and dozens of houses burned down.

00:58We put all our human and material resources at the disposal of the fire, obviously.

01:05We have been working hard since day one.

01:09And with regard to national support, we have not received any direct support.

01:14We have not yet been contacted.

01:16The province of Santiago del Estero sent a Boeing 737 Fireliner,

01:23the largest water bombing aircraft in Latin America,

01:25which can carry up to 15,000 litres of water.

01:28However, there is a shortage of supplies, personnel and resources

01:31that should be provided by the national government,

01:33and those working on site report that they are not arriving.

01:37They also demand that the governor of Chubut release 700 million dollars

01:40that he received from various foreign foundations for this type of situation.

01:47Evidence shows that these fires were started intentionally

01:50and that an accelerant was used.

01:52In the same vein, the inaction on the part of the government headed by Javier Milei

01:56is consistent with the statements made a few months ago

01:59by the then spokesperson Manuel Ardoni on the fire department law.

02:04The prohibition on changing the productive activity of the field for 30 or 60 years after the fire is removed,

02:11a law by Deputy Maximo Kirchner that threatens the production.

02:15The executive branch also wants the National Congress to discuss repealing the land law

02:22that imposes a maximum on land ownership by foreign capital or owners.

02:27In the 2026 budget, the budget allocation for the National Fire Management Service

02:31will decrease by 69% compared to the 2023 and by 78.5% compared to 2025.

02:38The convergence of these decisions puts the environmental and sovereign integrity

02:42of Argentine Patagonia at risk.

02:45In the 2026 budget, the National Fire Management Service

02:47reported by the National Fire Management Service

02:48from Tresur Argentina.

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