MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Wildfires in Patagonia threaten centuries old trees

Chubut declared a state of emergency

Wildfires raging at a national park in Argentina's Patagonia region since last Sunday are threatening to destroy trees up to thousands of years old and the government has called for residents in the area to evacuate homes and farms.

The Alerces National Park is a protected area of 263,000 hectares in the Andes region of Chubut province, near the border with Chile. The blaze, which government officials said was intentionally set, and apparently is out of control, has destroyed more than 1.000 hectares in the area, according to state news agency Telam. Given the gravity of the situation President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner dispatched five aircrafts with hydrants, three helicopters and a brigade of 80 expert wild fire fighters to Chubut province. Chubut governor Mario Das Neves said the fires began a few days ago and intensified on Wednesday night as strong winds combined with hot, dry weather conditions. "There are two fronts, one more under control than the other. We're racing against time to get there before the winds pick up speed" Das Neves told local television. Chubut declared a state of emergency in the five districts affected by the wildfires and earmarked 2 million pesos (628,000 US dollars) to handle the disaster. "Meteorological information seems to indicate there could be some rainfall, which is what we need. The wind is our worst enemy because it keeps (the fire) spreading and keeps our firemen from working" Das Neves added. Rainfall in the area since last October has been minimal. In Buenos Aires Deputy Information Secretary Daniel Taito admitted the blaze in some areas was out of control, "over a thousand hectares have been destroyed and some rural villages have been evacuated". This includes 200 hectares in the Los Alerces Park, "but the most worrying situation are the four fronts outside the reserve in bush areas and forestry exploitations", added Daniel Taito.