Uncontrolled fire: 9 fire sources devastate more than 550,000 hectares in Argentina

A total of nine foci of fire continue advancing without control through the province of Corrientes (Argentina), where the fire has destroyed more than 550,000 hectares of fields in recent days.

Speaking to the TN news channel, the provincial governor Gustavo Valdes He described the situation as “chaotic” due to the combination of high temperatures, low humidity and drought that has plagued Corrientes for several months.

“This is overflowing. Today we are working twelve planes, three helicopters; They are sending trucks, policemen, firefighters… We have all that, and so look at how we are, “said the head of the Corrientes Executive.

According to the latest report from the Ministry of the Environment, this Friday nine fires remained active in Corrientes (one more than yesterday), concentrated especially in the northern part of the province.

In this sense, Valdés pointed out that From mid-January to today there were “7,000 fires” in Corrientes, that devastated native forests cultivated forests and estuaries.

For this reason, the national government approved a contribution of 200 million pesos (about 1.8 million dollars) from the Treasury and another 6 million (about 56,000 dollars) from the Ministry of Social Development for the province, although the governor insisted in which “extraordinary assistance” is necessary.

“Corrientes needs extraordinary help because of the magnitude and because of the impact it is having on the producers, in the fields, on the ranchers, on the rice farmers… We really need extraordinary help to be able to get out of this hell, because this is something that we cannot It never happened to us,” he lamented.

The head of Civil Defense Operations of Corrientes, Orlando Bertoni assured that “the fires do not cease” and that the brigade members begin to suffer from “tiredness” and “exhaustion” due to the hard work days.

“In 22 years of leadership I have not seen so many fires and such a prolonged drought. We have lived six, up to eight months of drought, but not of this magnitude, ”he said in statements to Canal Abierto Radio.

Given the “aggressive” advance of the fire, today the highest priority of the emergency teams is to save homes and productive and industrial centers, for which Bertoni did not rule out the burning of even more hectares of fields.

The province of Corrientes does not have its own brigade corps and volunteer firefighters are in charge of stopping the fires, a situation that, in the opinion of the national government, must be reversed as soon as possible, “because climate change is here to stay.”

”We promote that the provinces have their corps of brigade members. Volunteer firefighters do not always have specific forestry training,” said the Minister of the Environment, Juan Cabandie in statements collected by the latest report of forest fires.

Source-larepublica.pe