Buenos Aires, Argentina: Forest fires in Patagonia, Argentina, have scorched more than 15,000 hectares of land, authorities said, amid attemps from firefighers and volunteers to contain it since last Monday.
Firefighters are also battling to contain another fire in the Chubut province that had burned around 12,000 hectares, near Epuyen, a town surrounded by forests, hills, and a lake, Argentina's Federal Emergency Agency said.
The fire broke out Monday at Puerto Patriada, about 1,700 km southwest of Buenos Aires in the southern Patagonia region.
The governor of Chubut, Ignacio Torres, said "pproximately 3,000 tourists have been evacuated from the area in recent days, and at least 10 homes have been destroyed by the fire."
Torres said in a radio interview that the situation in the area was "calmer" on Sunday morning but it "remains very critical."
Argentina's Federal Emergency Agency reported that fires are also active in Los Alerces National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Firefighters are also battling to contain another two fires in Chubut and neighboring Santa Cruz provinces that have burned some 3,800 hectares in recent days.
Los Alerces National Park spans an area of nearly 200,000 hectares and features stunning landscapes, including glacial basins, chains of clear ponds and lakes, hanging valleys, and rock formations
