Chubut Governor Ignacio Torres announced today that the wildfire in Puerto Patriada, in the northwest of the province, is 85% contained. This news brought some relief after the ten-day catastrophe caused by flames that began in the Andean Comarca region, although moderate rains that started this afternoon also helped to calm the fires. "After more than a week of non-stop work and a major deployment of human and material resources, today we can announce that the fire in Puerto Patriada is 85% contained and there is no longer a risk to neighboring towns," the governor stated. In the operation, more than 660 people worked, including provincial and national firefighters, volunteer firefighters, security forces, and support teams, along with eight aerial assets, heavy machinery, boats, and mobile units. The work was carried out through a coordinated and permanent effort with the National Fire Management Service and the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro, Santiago del Estero, and Córdoba, which provided teams and logistics to face one of the most complex fires in recent years. According to the Argentine News Agency, in statements to the press, Torres had said earlier that during his administration "we are not going to allow a single hectare of native forest to be sold," in order to shield that area and dismissed any link between the fires and ethnic conflicts. "Stupidity is fought with truth, and in Chubut the laws are respected," he added. Meanwhile, according to a technical report prepared by the Provincial Fire Management Service (SPMN), the fire affected about 12,000 hectares of native forest, planted forest, shrubs, and thickets, as well as homes and infrastructure. Likewise, after a state of catastrophe was declared in Epuyén—where the fire devoured more than half of the municipal area—there are still foci of "extreme behavior" in Arroyo Braese in Los Alerces National Park, although the rains helped to pacify the flames.
