Wildfires rage in Argentina’s Los Alerces National Park

Located in Argentina's Patagonia region, Los Alerces National Park is a sanctuary of ancient forests, lakes and rugged mountains. Famous for its namesake ancient alerce trees, some of which are over 3,000 years old, it is home to a wide range of flora and fauna, as well as the indigenous Tehuelche communities. A wildfire has been raging in the area for 6 days and has burned more than 2,300 hectares. The strong winds that have been blowing for the past few days are complicating the work of the nearly 240 firefighters deployed in the area.

The burn scars and hotspots in the area near the Futalaufquen lake are visible in this image of Los Alerces acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 30 January.

Copernicus provides crucial data for fire prevention and preparedness, supporting the development of early warning systems and fire risk assessments.