Tierra del Fuego: the fires do not stop and have consumed more than 6,500 hectares

Since last Wednesday, November 30, a large-scale fire broke out in Land of Firein the Corazón de la Isla reserve, where brigade members from different parts of the country have arrived to try to contain the conflagration.

However, the climatic conditions of the island They have not favored the work of the brigade members, who by land and air try to put out the flames. Meanwhile, according to official reports, between 6,500 and 8,000 hectares of native forest have been consumed by the conflagration in Land of Fire.

Tierra del Fuego: the fires do not stop and have consumed more than 6,500 hectares

The team is made up of more than 70 people, which since Thursday was joined by 52 brigade members of the National Fire Management Service (SNMF). With the help of a fire hydrant plane and two helicopters, the staff does everything possible to extinguish the flames. in Land of Fire.

The fire in the reserve began in the vicinity of the Río Claro and the so-called Fueguino Refuge (a tourist inn located in the former Estancia Carmen), and was noticed by members of the Lago Escondido detachment of the Civil Protection Secretariat, who spotted a “column of smoke” coming from the place.

Tierra del Fuego: the fires do not stop and have consumed more than 6,500 hectares

In the hours that followed, the Government sent 30 brigade members divided into three groups, with fire fighting and communication teams, to the location. In turn, an emergency committee was formed to coordinate the tasks, in the midst of unfavorable weather conditions, due to the intense winds that made it difficult for the helicopters to work in the first days.

In addition to the containment tasks to prevent the spread of the fire, cooling tasks are also carried out, in order to guarantee that the extinguished areas do not ignite again.

Tierra del Fuego: the fires do not stop and have consumed more than 6,500 hectares

The ecosystem value of the reserve is invaluable, since it houses forest, peat bogs, ecotone, a complex water system comprised of lakes Chepelmut, Yehuin and Yakush.. It is also the habitat of guanacos and the red fox, which is at risk of disappearing.

The measures of the provincial government

The provincial government decreed the “total ban on the ignition of fires in all the province“To prevent new fires, in addition, provincial routes No. 9 and No. 18 were enabled as emergency corridors.

Tierra del Fuego: the fires do not stop and have consumed more than 6,500 hectares

Meanwhile, the team that came to support the operation will reinforce the work that has been carried out for more than a week, and the arrival of two more planes is expected to reinforce the action plan.

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