OAN’s Abril Elfi
4:18 PM – Wednesday, October 11, 2023
A man has been arrested in connection to a wildfire that prompted the evacuation of dozens of families in Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba, Argentina.
According to surfacing media reports, firefighters were battling up to six wildfires in Argentina’s Córdoba province, where dozens were evacuated.
Social media posts and videos showed perilous flames and black smoke nearing urban areas outside of Villa Carlos Paz.
According to local media that cited prosecutor Jorgelina Gomez, Ulises Xarate, 27, has now been arrested.
Xarate claimed that after lighting a campfire to make himself some coffee, he quickly lost control of the flames because of “strong winds.”
The fire broke out on Monday amid a heatwave in the Punilla region and temperatures reportedly reached 95 degrees.
Cordoba’s Government and Security Minister Julian Lopez shared a declaration on social media, saying: “prevention measures be taken to the greatest extent possible, as the weather conditions are adverse.”
“I call on the population to respect the indications of the firefighters and authorities who are working in the affected areas,” he continued. “The most important thing is to save lives, wherever evacuation is necessary, it will be done.”
The province government stated that trucks carrying potable water, food, mattresses, and blankets had been immediately dispatched to the impacted communities.
A total of 960 firefighters were also working to combat the wildfires, with eight firefighting planes and two helicopters, according to the provincial government in a Tuesday statement.
As firemen regained control of the situation, they were still aggressively combating hot spots, including a fire that rekindled in the Tulumba district of northern Córdoba.
The Argentinian fires have sparked considerable debate online.
While many argue that climate change is to blame, others recall the Argentinian government’s national fire management department asserting in 2020 that “a total of 95% of forest fires are the result of human intervention.”
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