The
fire
that broke out in the
Los Alerces National Park gives no respite
and the wind and high temperatures conspire against the success of the operation deployed more than a week ago.
The
fire has already devoured more than three thousand hectares
in Chubut.
"The fight against the fire could become complicated after noon because
a lot of heat and stronger wind
are expected ," warned Mario Cárdenas, head of the Fire Communications and Emergencies (ICE) department of the National Park.
In statements to
Télam
, Cárdenas said that "the complicated conditions expected after noon have not yet begun," when "
a lot of heat and wind
" is forecast , so we'll see how it (the fire) treats us."
At the moment, the brigade members are "advancing everything they can, all the equipment and air means, in case it gets complicated later with the wind," he added.
According to provincial sources, there are more than 260 brigade members who are deployed in eight sectors of the Park.
They are trying to combat the forest fires that broke out several days ago and that have so far devastated 3,147 hectares of vegetation.
Unlike this Sunday's discouraging outlook, yesterday's day was considered "a productive day" by specialists.
There was little wind and this facilitated the action of the firebreak lines, as indicated last night by the Unified Command of the Los Alerces National Park and the Provincial Fire Management Service of the Chubut Forest Secretariat.
The increase in wind predicted for this afternoon complicates the actions of the brigade members.
Photo: Reuters.
"The fire remains active on most fronts - the spokespersons reported -, behaving with special intensity when it reaches the canyons, generating extreme conditions."
And they added: "The air support device operated normally during the morning, with helicopters and hydrant planes unloading water in the most critical hot spots, while the fleet of observation drones monitored the perimeter to calculate the advance of the fire fronts. ".
"The fire has extreme behavior. The fire burns backwards, against the wind, and when it goes down into the canyon it creates a kind of chimney effect:
it rises with force and burns what you protected the day before
," said Hernán Mondino, a native of Trevelin. and one of the many brigade members who work piecework.
In a note provided to Diario Río Negro, the brigade member stated that the highest point of the fire is in "the canyons" given that the wind conditions there are "variable", with gusts of 75 kilometers per hour.
"They are extreme conditions, with turbulence and whirlpools. This leads to the generation of convective columns that increase the intensity of the fire," he described.
For this Sunday afternoon, an increase in temperature and wind is forecast, so it is expected that these meteorological conditions will modify the combat strategy, depending on the safety of the brigade members who work in the sectors most exposed to the advance of the storms. calls.
Meanwhile, the authorities indicated that the authorized tourist services operate normally, although it is recommended to drive with extreme caution on the section of provincial route 71 that crosses the National Park due to the high circulation of vehicles affected by the logistics of the operation, which They have priority of passage at all times.
With information from Télam