Argentina's Patagonia wildfires have scorched more than 18,000 hectares of native forest, grassland and tourist resorts since 5 January. Fires spread rapidly through the southern province of Chubut, where highly flammable pine monocultures and a prolonged heatwave have created a "powder keg" of combustible material. The national government, led by President Javier Milei, cut the National Fire Management Service budget by 81 % last year, hampering prevention, firebreak construction and firefighting efforts. Local communities in the town of Epuyén have formed volunteer brigades to help fight the blaze, while the Federal Emergency Agency reports the affected area now exceeds 40,000 hectares. Wildfires are also ravaging Chile, killing at least 18 people this month. Climate scientists link the unprecedented fire activity to the broader climate crisis and the lack of recent snowfall, low humidity and extreme winds. The combination of environmental mismanagement and fiscal austerity has made the fires almost impossible to contain, leaving vast tracts of Patagonia in ash.

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