The flames are currently advancing uncontrollably and keeping several towns in the area on edge.

The extreme weather conditions of historic drought, high temperatures, and strong winds are severely complicating the work of the firefighters and favoring the fire’s advance toward populated areas, the Chubut newspaper Jornada reports.

The newspaper quotes the lament of Chubut’s Secretary of Forests, Abel Nievas, as he describes the impact of the blaze, which broke out on January 5, as “the worst environmental tragedy in 20 years” in that province, where the flames have consumed some 7,000 hectares of native forest.

The main fire front is concentrated in the Epuyen and El Hoyo area. In Puerto Patriada, at least ten homes were destroyed by the fire.

The municipality of El Maiten asked its residents to be prepared for a possible evacuation. Other nearby towns, such as El Coihue and Buenos Aires Chico, remain on alert, with municipal facilities already prepared as a precaution to receive evacuees.

The Municipality of El Hoyo implemented a preventative self-evacuation for residents, tourists, and visitors of the El Pedregoso area, as well as for the Aldea San Francisco area, while traffic on Route 40 remains restricted.

Authorities in Chubut believe the fire was intentionally set, and judicial investigators are working to corroborate the charge.

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