The recent decision of Victoria Villarruelvice president of Argentina, canceling her trip to Chubut due to the emergency caused by the forest fires has generated a great impact on public opinion and the country’s political agenda.
Victoria Villarruel He planned to go to the province as a representative of the Executive Branch, in the absence of President Javier Milei, who is in the United States to attend the inauguration of Donald Trump and will later travel to Switzerland to participate in the Davos Economic Forum.
The emergency in Chubut broke out in the town of Epuyén, where a devastating forest fire has consumed more than 2,000 hectares of vegetation and destroyed at least 50 buildings.. The adverse weather conditions, with high temperatures and winds of up to 70 km/h, have made extinguishing the fire extremely difficult.
More than 200 people have been evacuated to the municipal gym, and although no victims or injuries have been reported, the material losses are significant. The governor of Chubut, Ignacio Torres, has moved to the affected area to evaluate the situation and coordinate firefighting tasks.
In dialogue with Villarruelboth agreed to suspend the official agenda that involved the presence of the vice president at the Shearing Festival, a traditional event held in Río Mayo, a town with which Villarruel has a personal connection for having lived there for a time.
The decision to cancel the trip was made after a conversation between Villarruel and Torres, in which both agreed on the need to prioritize attention to the emergency and firefighting tasks. Although the Shearing Festival is still going on, local authorities have decided to focus on the emergency and providing support to those affected.
Conditions
The fire in Epuyén has generated a great commotion throughout the province of Chubut. The gusts of wind, exceeding 70 km/h, have made the tasks of the brigade members difficult, and although the origin of the fire is unknown, intentionality has not been ruled out. A brigade of the Argentine Federal Police has been sent to the area to investigate the site and determine the causes of the fire.
The mayor of Epuyén, José Contreras, has described the situation as a “disaster” and has estimated that the restoration of communication and electricity services could take approximately a month.. Adverse weather conditions, with high temperatures and winds of up to 40 km/h, have complicated extinguishing tasks, and although cold mornings help quell the flames, they re-emerge strongly at midday due to changing winds.
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