Javier Milei’s economic management has deepened the dismantling of state and environmental areas, amid a context in which fires in 16 provinces of Argentina are intensifying.

Amid a critical environmental emergency due to active wildfires in Patagonia, a new act of irresponsibility has sparked outrage. A video circulating on social media shows a couple of Israeli tourists lighting a fire in an unauthorized area of ​​Laguna Torre, near El Calafate, in the province of Santa Cruz .

According to reports from National Parks and the National Gendarmerie, an operation was immediately launched to identify them, and it was noted that the offenders were of Israeli origin, although the tourists left the place before the arrival of the official officers.

While experts say that the defunding of the key area for fighting forest fires has exceeded 70% in real terms since 2023, the situation is critical in the provinces of Chubut and Santa Cruz, where the advancing fires have forced the evacuation of residents and tourists. The provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén are also battling the flames.

The recurring “postcard”: a Patagonia in flames

This incident is part of a major environmental tragedy. Argentine Patagonia is facing a series of extensive wildfires, with the most urgent focus in the province of Chubut, specifically in Puerto Patriada and Rincón de Lobos, within the town of El Hoyo, in the Andean region.

There, the Prosecutor’s Office in charge of the investigation confirmed that the fire was intentionally set. The governor of Chubut, Ignacio Torres, stated that “today I spoke with the prosecutor, who not only confirmed that the fire was intentional and set in a strategic location and time, at a moment when many families and tourists were present, but also highlighted the risk of the road being blocked.”

However, the governor of Chubut did not question Milei’s lack of budget, which has imposed a structural underfunding, which is aggravated by a systematic under-execution of the approved items, which barely exceeded 48% this year.

In El Hoyo, more than 1,800 hectares have already been affected.

Meanwhile, the Tiempo Argentino platform noted that the magnitude of the active fires highlights the disproportion between operational efforts and the underlying financial constraints suffered by the system.

“This crisis exposes the human and environmental cost of the austerity plan, which prioritizes shrinking the state even in sectors where public presence is irreplaceable for protecting lives and ecosystems. The lack of resources foreshadows a scenario of increasing vulnerability to disasters that, far from being unpredictable, are exacerbated by political decisions of disinvestment,” the media outlet stated.

Added to this is the perspective of the NO to the Mine platform, which reported that a month ago, after an electrical storm, a small fire was detected in an intangible area on the bank of Lake Menéndez in the Los Alerces National Park (Chubut), declared a World Heritage Site.

“Every day, a group of firefighters was sent out, unsuccessfully, navigating the lake only to experience the frustration of not being able to reach the site by land. We all knew that the only way to attack the fire was by air, but it was also clear that a single helicopter with a water bucket wouldn’t be enough. Today, Los Alerces National Park is burning. It wasn’t just the drought; it’s also an irresponsible government ,” he added.

Los Alerces National Park is one of the protected areas declared a World Heritage Site in June 2017, the only National Park that cares for and protects the world’s oldest tree species, Fitzroya cupressoides , the Patagonian larch, which has inhabited the Andean Patagonian forest for approximately 5,486 years.