Argentina declares emergency as fierce winds hamper battle against Patagonia wildfires

BUENOS AIRES: Argentina has announced a fire emergency across several southern provinces as powerful winds and extreme temperatures complicate efforts to contain rapidly spreading wildfires in Patagonia, where vast swathes of forest have already been destroyed.

The emergency declaration covers Chubut, Río Negro, Neuquén and La Pampa, a move authorities say will allow faster access to federal funds and resources. The fires, which began earlier in the summer, have now burned an area more than twice the size of the city of Buenos Aires.

While seasonal wildfires are not unusual in Patagonia, this year’s blazes have reached protected areas, including Los Alerces National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for its ancient alerce trees, among the longest-living tree species on the planet.

The worst-hit area is Chubut province, where firefighters are struggling to control flames amid strong winds. Provincial officials estimate that more than 110,000 acres (around 44,500 hectares) have been scorched so far. The first outbreaks of the season were reported in December.

The disaster has reignited debate over President Javier Milei’s sweeping austerity programme, with environmental organisations warning that cuts to public spending have weakened Argentina’s capacity to prevent and respond to wildfires. Milei’s administration has pursued sharp fiscal reductions under its so-called “chainsaw” policy.

According to the non-profit Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN), funding for the National Fire Management Service was reduced by 71 per cent in real terms in Argentina’s 2026 budget compared with the previous year. Critics argue the cuts left authorities underprepared for predictable summer fires.

“These fires don’t come as a surprise,” said Ariel Slipak, an economist at FARN, who said the government had prioritised budget discipline over emergency readiness.

In response to the crisis, the Ministry of Security said it would release approximately $69 million to support firefighting operations across the affected provinces.

Milei has previously drawn controversy by dismissing climate change as a “socialist lie,” a stance that has angered environmental advocates. His government has also signalled it may consider withdrawing Argentina from the Paris climate agreement, following a similar move by US President Donald Trump, an ally of Milei.

Environmental groups warn that such positions risk worsening the impact of climate-related disasters. “Ignoring or downplaying climate change, despite long-standing scientific warnings, is a political failure whose cost will be borne by forests and communities,” said Hernán Giardini of Greenpeace Argentina.

Greenpeace said the area already burned this season has exceeded the roughly 80,000 acres lost to fires during Patagonia’s previous summer fire season.