Dozens Injured As Wildfires Devastate Parts Of Argentina

Wildfires in Argentina's Chubut and Rio Negro provinces have left dozens of people injured, hundreds evacuated, and homes destroyed.

Officials said the fire may have started on Tuesday in a Las Golondrinas sector and then advanced towards Lago Puelo's town.

The wind spread the flames rapidly, devastating forests and some 250 houses. About 350 people have been evacuated.

The Argentine government sent two helicopters, three fire hydrants, 12 fire engines, support vehicles and more than 60 brigades from different provinces to fight the flames.

The fires have already destroyed some 2,000 hectares.

Carola Salguero, Secretary of Government of Lago Puelo Municipality, has demanded an investigation.

Some 20 Argentine provinces have been affected by recurring fires since 2020, caused largely by drought. But many were started deliberately, authorities believe.

The province of Cordoba, in the center of the country, has been the most affected, with 331,000 hectares burned, while more than one million hectares have been destroyed nationwide, according to information from the National Fire Management Service.

The lack of rain in 2020 made it the driest year in Argentina for a quarter of a century.