Dozens flee raging Argentina wildfires ‘started by man making coffee’

Hundreds of firefighters are battling the blazes encroaching on the city of Villa Carlos Paz
Maryam Kara11 October 2023

A man has been arrested after he was believed to be behind wildfires engulfing a region in Argentina this week.

A 27-year-old who has been detained said that he started a campfire to make coffee and lost control of the flames, according to local media citing prosecutor Jorgelina Gomez.

The fire started in the Argentina’s central Cordoba province on Monday amid a heatwave in the Punilla region.

Neighbours work to put out a forest fire on the outskirts of Villa Carlos Paz, Cordoba province
AP

A total of five active wildfires were in the province, the scene which saw the help of 960 firefighters, eight firefighting planes and two helicopters.

However, wildfires engulfing the region close to Villa Carlos Paz city has meant that dozens of people were evacuated from their homes. Videos circulating on X, previously known as Twitter, depict panick-stricken locals rushing to safety.

Other alarming footage depicts fire encroaching on the city and massive flames in hills surrounding populated areas.

Temperatures reached 35C as Cordoba’s government and security minister Julian Lopez wrote on social media that “We request that prevention measures be taken to the highest degree, as the weather conditions are adverse.”

Cordoba governor Juan Schiaretti wrote “I call on the population to respect the indications of the firefighters and authorities who are working in the affected areas.”

“The most important thing is to save lives, wherever evacuation is necessary, it will be done.”

The provincial government said it had sent trucks with potable water, food, mattresses and blankets to the affected areas.

The fires have caused some controversy online. Whilst many X users have insisted their cause was climate change, others recall Argentinian government’s national fire management service asserting in 2020 that “A total 95% of forest fires are the result of human intervention.”

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