By Meghan Roos
Live Blog Writer
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Dramatic footage of wildfires that raged in Argentina this week spread Wednesday on social media, and one repeatedly shared video showed the resort city Villa Carlos Paz under threat from a blazing line of flame.
Several wildfires impacted central Argentina's Córdoba province on Tuesday, prompting Córdoba Governor Juan Schiaretti to visit a local crisis committee that had assembled to oversee the wildfire response. Eight hydrant planes and two helicopters assisted the 960 firefighters who were deployed to the area, according to the governor's office.
The fires were under control by 1:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, though Schiaretti's office said firefighters were still working to address persisting hot spots. Villa Carlos Paz Mayor Esteban Aviles posted a note of thanks Wednesday on Instagram to the firefighters who brought the fires under control.
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Dozens of residents were evacuated before firefighters gained control of the blazes, according to The Associated Press. Newsweek reached out to Aviles' office for additional information on the status of evacuated residents by email on Wednesday.
Drone footage credited to Fede Krypner and shared online by several news outlets showed a dark red-orange line of fire burning on a hill along the outskirts of Villa Carlos Paz. Dark smoke could be seen rising high into the sky above the flames.
A video compilation shared on X, formerly Twitter, by Sky News showed people in the area passing water buckets from one person to the next in an apparent attempt to douse the flames.
Satellite footage picked up on the rising heat from the fires and the swirling smoke that drifted through the area, with winds appearing to push it southwest.
Córdoba Minister of Government and Security Julián López also shared two photos of the fires on X Tuesday evening. One showed a bright orange line of fire on a hillside, while the other showed plumes of dark smoke reaching upward. In his post, López reiterated calls made by local authorities for residents to stay safe by following firefighters' warnings and instructions.
Officials said the wildfires burned "dozens" of hectares. Some homes were also impacted by the flames, though details on the full extent of the damage were not immediately clear. Schiaretti's office said there were no deaths reported in connection with the fires.
A full day before the fires were brought under control, Schiaretti posted on X that the most important thing was to save lives. He said any "material losses will be covered as we always do in these cases by the provincial State."
"Given that due to the climatic situation we are at extreme risk of fires, it is necessary to take preventive measures," his post added.
One person has been arrested for allegedly starting one of the fires, according to local media outlets. The 27-year-old suspect, identified by local media as Ulises Pedro Xarate, reportedly lit a fire so they could boil water to make coffee, but the fire escaped their control.
Schiaretti addressed the arrest in a statement released by his office.
"I hope that the full weight of the Law falls on the person responsible for setting the fire, because 99% of the fires that we suffer every year in Córdoba are caused intentionally, either by intentional action or irresponsibility," he said.
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