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Argentina Declares Yearlong Wildfire Emergency for Four Patagonian Provinces

A new decree centralizes response under the Federal Emergency Agency to unlock major support for volunteer fire brigades.

Overview

  • DNU 73/2026 sets a one-year emergency and designates disaster zones for Chubut, Río Negro, Neuquén and La Pampa.
  • The AFE assumes operational coordination under Argentina’s risk-management and wildfire laws to align federal, provincial and municipal actions.
  • Security Ministry Resolution 91/2026 allocates about 129 billion pesos to the volunteer fire system, including roughly 100.8 billion for 1,062 associations, and the government sent 4 billion pesos in ATN funds to Chubut.
  • Hundreds of brigadistas and several aircraft remain deployed as recent lightning storms reactivated remote fronts in Lanín, Nahuel Huapi and Lago Puelo.
  • Burned-area estimates are large, with reports citing totals near 230,000 hectares across the region; Santa Cruz is not covered by the decree, though some outlets report an expansion is being prepared.