Wildfires are an annual reality in Córdoba province and several blazes have been raging across the province since last Thursday. On Monday, there were four remaining focal points of the wildfires and hundreds of firefighters on the ground. According to media reports, more than 50 people have been evacuated, 20 homes destroyed and over 16,000 hectares burned in the province’s northern Punilla Valley region.
“This is a regular issue in Córdoba but this year we’ve started on the wrong foot already. Usually in September, we’d see rain and less wind, but we haven’t seen a drop of rain in months. The conditions are perfect for any spark to light a blaze anywhere,” said Santiago Tarduchy, a volunteer firefighter with the 113th La Granja Volunteer Brigade and the Agua de Oro Environmental Brigade.
Tarduchy spoke to the Herald en route to combat an active fire that had just crossed the La Granja river and threatened a residential area — 90 kilometers from its origin in Capilla del Monte. C5N reported that 54 people were evacuated on Monday.
“It’s overwhelming to watch the mountains constantly smothered in smoke, which we’ve been breathing since Thursday,” said Federico Kopta, president of the Córdoba Environmental Forum.
Like Tarduchy, Kopta pointed to the fact that most wildfires are caused by human activity. According to the Herald’s sister publication Ambito, three people have been arrested for deliberately starting a fire and are awaiting trial, but one of the recent blazes began with someone emptying their heating salamander.
“There’s a noticeable trend in the mountainous area of Córdoba, which is the increased urban population which has migrated not just from within the province but from Buenos Aires,” he told the Herald. “So there are problems where people who come from elsewhere with little awareness of fire risks can start a wildfire. The causes of wildfires are extremely variable when it comes to human intervention, from accidents to arson.”
“We need to change behavioral patterns and create a culture of fire protection: the Forum’s biggest critique is that the government does not invest in education, precisely because it’s humans who start fires,” Kopta said. “We should be prepared for this annual, seasonal event.”
Both Tarduchy and Kopta highlighted the need to respect and enforce the province’s designated red and yellow zones, where human intervention is barred due to their conservation value under Argentina’s Forest Law. According to Kopta, since it was passed in 2010, certain sectors in Córdoba have pushed for certain aspects to be made more flexible to allow for further development.
“We’ve seen specialist task forces created in the province to combat fires but also the consistent push by real estate developers: there are political interests there,” said Tarduchy, explaining that if a wildfire hits an area designated for forestry or conservation it can be recategorized as a building plot in certain circumstances.
In a post on X, the provincial Córdoba government highlighted the deployment of hundreds of firefighters, medical staff, and volunteers across the province with the help of seven air tankers and six helicopters from the national government. The provinces of Buenos Aires and Santiago del Estero were also acknowledged for sending help and the National Fire Management Service.
“The response to wildfires in Córdoba has improved in part due to policies by the provincial government but also in part because neighbors have organized. We’ve had training and created forest brigades, some working with firefighters and others independently. There’s a community response and a commitment to defending our space,” said Tarduchy.
Amnesty International addressed an open letter to the presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Peru on Monday, titled “Record wildfires in South America Require an Unprecedented Response.”
“Governments must ramp up efforts to extinguish the current wildfires in the region, deploying maximum use of their resources to ensure a rapid response to avoid more burning and toxic emissions and requesting international assistance where necessary,” the letter read, highlighting the need for laws and policies to protect forests and other natural ecosystems.
The open letter highlighted that Argentina has seen hundreds of wildfires so far this year resulting in at least 91,540 hectares burned, according to government figures. Amnesty International also alluded to the reduced environmental budget for 2024 and that President Javier Milei’s presidential mega-decree “had the effect of dismissing numerous workers in the National Parks’ service, which risks half the staff by December 2024, including personnel to combat fires.”
“We’re watching austerity take funds from all over the place and these are the consequences,” said Tarduchy. “You can create public policy because you’re concerned about the environment, designing policies for conservation and protection. Or you can take no interest and do nothing. That’s also a form of politics.”

Fuente: Buenos Aires Herald