LOS ALERCES NATIONAL PARK, Argentina — Argentina’s iconic Patagonian wilderness, a landscape immortalized by generations of writers and adventurers, now resembles a conflict zone. Towering plumes of smoke rise like artillery fire while nocturnal flames cast an apocalyptic orange glow across mountainsides, transforming this UNESCO World Heritage site into a haunting spectacle.
The devastating wildfires ravaging drought-stricken Patagonia represent the region’s most severe blazes in decades, having consumed over 45,000 hectares of native forest in recent weeks. The inferno has forced thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate as flames continue spreading through Los Alerces National Park, home to ancient trees dating back 2,600 years.
This ecological catastrophe has ignited fierce criticism against President Javier Milei’s administration, whose radical austerity measures have dramatically reduced funding for fire prevention and response agencies. Since taking office promising economic rescue from decades of debt, Milei has implemented an 80% budget reduction to the National Fire Management Service compared to the previous year, severely hampering brigades, aircraft maintenance, and equipment procurement.
According to analysis by the Environment and Natural Resources Foundation (FARN), the agency faces an additional 71% funding cut in the upcoming budget cycle. These reductions coincide with increasingly frequent extreme weather events linked to climate change, creating perfect conditions for catastrophic wildfires.
Firefighter Hernán Mondino, his face streaked with sweat and soot after grueling shifts, stated: “Climate change is undeniable. This is us living it. But we see no sign that the government is concerned about our situation.”
The crisis has exposed structural weaknesses in Argentina’s environmental protection framework. The Ministry of Security, which assumed firefighting oversight after Milei downgraded the Environment Ministry, declined to comment on the situation.
Milei’s economic policies have achieved some success, reducing annual inflation from 117% to 31%—the lowest rate in eight years. However, his alignment with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s approach to governance has extended to environmental policy. After Trump announced U.S. withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, Milei threatened to follow suit, dismissing human-caused climate change as a “socialist lie”—a position that enrages many Argentinians experiencing record-breaking heat and dryness firsthand.
Local resident Lucas Panak expressed growing public frustration: “There’s a lot of anger building up. People here are very uncomfortable with our country’s politics.”
Experts argue the fundamental issue isn’t fire response but prevention. Andrés Nápoli, director of FARN, explained: “Fires are not something you only fight once they exist. They must be addressed beforehand through planning, infrastructure and forecasting. Prevention has essentially been abandoned.”
The National Park Administration has suffered similar cuts, resulting in hundreds of rangers, firefighters, and administrative staff departing. Current staffing stands at 391 firefighters against a recommended minimum of 700, with many remaining personnel relying on secondhand equipment and donations.
The human toll on responders is severe. Patagonian firefighters earn approximately $600 monthly, forcing many to seek additional work as gardeners and farmhands. “From the outside it looks like everything still functions,” said Mondino, “but our bodies bear the cost.”
Political tensions escalated when Milei delayed addressing the crisis publicly while participating in public dancing events. After mounting pressure, he eventually declared a state of emergency, releasing $70 million for volunteer firefighters and announcing “a historic fight against fire” via social media.
At base camps where exhausted firefighters recuperate, volunteer Mariana Rivas summarized the collective sentiment: “It hurts because it’s not just a beautiful landscape, it’s our home. There’s anger about what could have been avoided, and anger because every year it gets worse.”