Evacuations are underway and firefighters have been deployed en masse after a wildfire broke out near the town of Esquel in Argentina’s Chubut province. Residents watched in despair as their homestead became a fiery hellscape.
At least 90 firefighters are working tirelessly to extinguish the flames before the outbreak can spread any further. Firefighting planes, helicopters, along with numerous fire engines and tankers have been scrambled to help battle the blaze, which is spreading rapidly across the dry grasslands in the area. An eyewitness video shows the nightmare unfolding.
High temperatures in recent days rendered conditions perfect for such a bushfire to break out and the nearby highway Route 259 was closed temporarily as flames encroached on that main transport artery.
"The forecast is unfavorable: very hot and windy, but luckily there are resources to fight the fire," Daniel Hollman, secretary of the environment in Esquel said. Hollman added that "a tragedy was avoided" thanks to the quick-thinking of local authorities who’d recognized the danger quickly.
Entire communities have been evacuated as a precaution, including some 20 families from the Ceferino neighborhood, which is closest to the fire. Miraculously, though, no injuries or fatalities have yet been reported.
According to local media reports, the fire may have broken out after an electrical transformer exploded; this has yet to be confirmed by officials.
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