Devastating Wildfires Ravage Cordoba's Farming Region

Wildfires have devastated 40,000 hectares of Argentina's Cordoba region, leaving behind charred landscapes and lifeless cattle. Local artist Hugo Ávila recounted the terrifying experience of fleeing the flames. The fires, fueled by drought and hot weather, have firefighters using planes and helicopters to control them.

Wildfires have ravaged 40,000 hectares of Argentina's central farming region of Cordoba, officials reported, leaving a trail of charred cattle, houses, and fields. In Capilla del Monte, a key ranching area, scenes of burned cows and decimated plants and trees were observed. The sound of the blazes was described by locals as being like a 'monster'.

'It was a sound like a turbine, like a growl, it sounded like a monster, literally. And we escaped. We escaped from something that was coming to eat us,' said Hugo Ávila, a 50-year-old artist, who fled his home as the fire approached. 'We fled down the road, with the car, with my dogs, and with the neighbors. And 15 minutes later I came back and this was it. Everything was on fire, a house reduced to nothing.'

Argentina's President Javier Milei is scheduled to visit the region on Wednesday, following his return from the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Firefighters are employing water tanker planes and helicopters to prevent the fires from spreading to urban areas. Hot weather and drought have exacerbated the situation, contributing to record blazes this year across South America, from Bolivia to Brazil.

Benjamin Grandoli, a 34-year-old teacher and cattle farmer, reported that 98% of his land had been scorched. Some animals perished, while others were rescued from the flames. 'There are 280 animals, including those that died... Right now they are in pens but they don't have food, and water from the mountain is scarce due to the drought. So it's complicated,' he explained.

'The disaster and impact of the wildfires is astonishing.'

(With inputs from agencies.)