ISLAMABAD/CORRIENTES: Over 6,000 hectares (14,800 acres) of forests in Argentina’s northern Corrientes province have been consumed by fires as the South American country faces a severe heat wave and drought.
The emergency command center of Corrientes said that three fires were still posing a hazard, while two others were burning but under control.
No injuries have been reported, and the fires have not reached populated areas.
According to the INTA agricultural technology institute, the South American country has been facing severe heat waves since the start of 2023; with more than 100,000 hectares destroyed in Corrientes due to fires and blazes.
Last month, Argentina issued health warnings in several provinces caught up in the worst heat wave in decades, with temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Rising temperatures
According to the weather service, the three months from November to the end of January were the warmest since 1961. While periodic heat waves are regular, climate change has made them “more persistent and intense,” even in Argentina’s high Patagonia area, meteorologist Enzo Campetella told AFP last month.
According to government statistics, forest fires in Corrientes scorched more than a million hectares in 2022. The La Nina cycle of the El Nino weather phenomenon brought historically high temperatures last year, leading to crop losses estimated to be of billions of dollars.
