It is the year 2023 and unfortunately, we are still reading the sad news about thousands of forest acres burning somewhere in the world. Every year, this news is repeated and repeated, completely destroying the flora and fauna of the place. Wildlife is ruined by immense chains of fires that are uncontrollable to fight and that spread very quickly due to the drought that occurs worldwide as a result of climate change.
This year, we watched Hawaii go up in flames, wiping out entire towns and villages. The same thing happened in Canada, the ashes reaching as far as North Carolina in the United States and even as far as Spain, in Europe.
Last week, the horror took place in the Tanti Mountains in Cordoba, an Argentine province. The incident occurred due to a campfire that a twenty-seven-year-old young man started to heat some water. As a result of this event, a wildfire broke out and spread throughout kilometers in the area, affecting seven localities in total. Entire families had to be evacuated from their homes because the fires were close to the population or because of the large amount of smoke that was in the area, affected the respiratory tracts. Today, Tuesday, after seven days of hard work by firefighters and brigade members, there are no active outbreaks in the area. However, due to the severe drought and strong winds, the government has warned citizens about the terrible damage caused by the campfires and only asked that no more be started. Rain is expected next weekend, and the water will bring the peace that the inhabitants of Cordoba need.
It is important to be aware of the damage that humans can cause, intentionally or not, since 90% of wildfires are always man-made. Nature must be respected as it is home to many wild animals and forests are the lungs of the planet that humans need to live and rest. Ecology and the environment are and will always be important to our lives.
By Marina Chauffaille