Wildfires in Patagonia reignite: 13,000 hectares have been lost in Chubut

A wildfire hotspot in Epuyén, the area most affected by the flames in Chubut, has reignited as firefighters struggle to contain the situation that has been affecting several parts of Patagonia in southern Argentina for days. The most damaged areas so far are Epuyén and the Los Alerces National Park. 13,600 hectares have been lost to the blaze there, according to information from the Provincial Fire Management Service. Over 600 people are working to stop the fires. Over 20 houses, a ranch and two hotels have been burned down since the wildfires began on January 5. Two people have been reported seriously injured: a firefighter, who remains hospitalized with over half of his body burned, and a man who lives in the area and was helping as a volunteer. The latter is currently under intensive care with burns on 20% of his body. On Tuesday, a hotspot that had previously been contained in El Pedregoso, near Epuyén, reignited despite the fact that rainfalls on Sunday had brought some relief to firefighters.  The situation worries local authorities, as strong winds and dry weather create the perfect conditions for flames to ignite. “This is one of the most aggressive fires in the history of the province,” said Chubut Governor Ignacio Torres during an interview with Urbana Play radio on Wednesday. “I have never seen fire grow at such a speed, with 30 meter flames,” the governor said. En Parques Nacionales contamos con un sistema integrado para la prevención y el combate de incendios forestales, con el cual trabajamos durante todo el año junto a la @AFE_Arg . pic.twitter.com/uWGiXzqbOX— Parques Nacionales Argentina (@ParquesOficial) January 13, 2026 Torres explained that Chubut is under “the worst drought since 1975” and said that, while the fire in Epuyén, which began in an area called Puerto Patriada, was manmade and caused intentionally, there was evidence that the one in Los Alerces National Park was started by lightning during a storm. The National Human Development Ministry reported that four homes have been affected by the fire in Epuyén and El Hoyo in recent hours. However, Torres said that there is currently no risk of the blaze reaching more homes in Epuyén, and that firefighters are working on a firewall to prevent the flames from reaching the town of Choalila. He is hoping the rain expected on Wednesday will improve the situation. The cause of the fires Torres addressed theories regarding how the fires in Puerto Patriada and Epuyén began. On social media, users speculated that they may have been started by Mapuche communities — often wrongfully accused in the Patagonia area of attempting to appropriate land that they claim as their own. Others claimed that the fires were caused by real estate companies that want to sell the burned land to foreigners for them to build there, pointing specifically at Israeli nationals. “In a moment like this, we can’t waste time refuting whether they were Israelis, or if people want to sell land to foreigners and all that nonsense people are saying,” Torres stated. He called them “conspirational theories aimed at creating distractions” with a political goal, and clarified that it is illegal in the province to sell native forests. “Every year we have intentional fires. There can be willful intent or not, like a tourist that starts a fire for a barbecue and creates a catastrophe,” he added. Torres also denied the claims accusing Mapuche communities, as did Lago Puelo head prosecutor Carlos Díaz Mayer, who said in an interview with Buenas Tardes China that their involvement had been “completely ruled out.” En la zona de los incendios en Chubut se investigan hechos deliberados e intencionales para iniciar el fuego. Los indicios preliminares indican que estos delitos estarían vinculados a grupos terroristas autodenominados mapuches, con antecedentes de atentados contra la seguridad…— Ministerio de Seguridad Nacional (@MinSeguridad_Ar) January 11, 2026 The governor’s words were aimed at the National Security Ministry, which reproduced the accusations against the native communities, saying that preliminary investigations suggested the fires were “linked to terrorist groups who call themselves Mapuches.”  They added that those groups have a record of similar crimes under the modus operandi of “environmental terror.” The statement likely refers to the RAM (Mapuche Ancestral Resistance), a group led by currently imprisoned activist Facundo Jones Huala. The RAM has been accused in the past by the national and provincial governments in Patagonia of being behind attacks and illegal land occupation.  One suspect In a press conference, Díaz Mayer and the head provincial police chief Andrés García said that they analyzed security cameras in Puerto Patriada and found that, minutes after the fire had begun, two trucks were seen leaving the area “loaded with personal items, like they were moving out, with boxes.” Despite Díaz Mayer’s denial that Mapuches were involved, García said that they were investigating a “land dispute” involving the community, which started after a woman moved into the area from Buenos Aires province and “demanded to be considered part of the community.” The prosecution considers the woman the main suspect of starting the fire in Puerto Patriada. On Monday, the provincial police raided her house — which was affected by the fire — and seized personal items, like cellphones. The home is located in the Pulgar Huentuquidel community. Speaking with the Herald’s sister TV network C5N, the woman, who identified herself as Rocío Brizuela, outright rejected the accusations. “I would not hurt my own animals, damage my own house and my own family,” she said. “They searched and didn’t find anything.”