Patagonia Wildfires Map
Wildfire statistics · Argentina
In 2026, 589,309 hectares have burned in Argentina — 86% below the 20-year average.
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About wildfires in Patagonia
Patagonia, the vast region spanning southern Argentina and Chile, faces unique wildfire challenges due to its dry climate, strong winds, and increasingly hot summers. The region's native forests of lenga and coihue, along with vast grassland steppes, are particularly vulnerable to fire.
Strong Patagonian winds can drive fires across enormous distances in short periods, making containment extremely difficult. The 2015 fires in Cholila and the 2021 fires in Lago Martin destroyed thousands of hectares of ancient native forest. Climate change is extending the fire season and increasing the severity of drought conditions.
This tracker monitors all satellite-detected fire activity across Patagonia, from Neuquén and Río Negro provinces in the north to Tierra del Fuego in the south, providing essential data for the region's firefighting services.
Patagonia wildfire season
Patagonia's fire season runs through the southern-hemisphere summer, roughly December to March and peaking in January and February, when heat, drought and the region's ferocious winds combine. The greatest danger is in the Andean forests of Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut — the "Comarca Andina" around El Bolsón and Bariloche — where ancient lenga, coihue and thousand-year-old alerce forests grow.
These native forests recover extremely slowly, so a single fire can erase woodland that took centuries to grow. Climate change is lengthening the dry season and deepening the droughts that prime the forest to burn.
Notable wildfires in history
- 2025 Comarca Andina Fires
Over 50,000 hectares burned across Andean Patagonia in one summer — the largest blazes near Epuyén (~12,000 ha) and in Nahuel Huapi National Park's El Manso sector (~12,000 ha), plus El Bolsón and Lanín National Park — with one death and hundreds of homes affected.
- 2021 Comarca Andina Fires
Wind-driven fires ripped through Las Golondrinas, El Hoyo and Lago Martin in March, destroying around 500 homes and killing three people in one of the region's most destructive fire events.
- 2015 Cholila Fire
A fire near Cholila in Chubut burned for weeks across tens of thousands of hectares, destroying large tracts of ancient native forest that will take centuries to regrow.
Main causes & risk factors
- Ferocious Patagonian winds that drive fires across huge distances
- Hot, dry summers and deepening droughts linked to climate change
- Human ignitions — some accidental, some deliberately set
- Flammable invasive pine plantations bordering native forest
- Slow-recovering native forests where any fire causes lasting damage
Safety & preparedness
- Heed evacuation orders immediately — wind can shift a fire's direction in minutes
- Monitor local air quality when smoke settles in the valleys
- Never light fires in or near forest, especially on windy or high-risk days
- Keep defensible space clear around mountain homes and cabins
- Follow the SNMF and provincial fire brigades (brigadistas) for updates
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Frequently asked questions
When is Patagonia's fire season?
Roughly December to March, peaking in January and February during the southern-hemisphere summer, when heat, drought and strong winds combine.
Where do most Patagonia fires happen?
In the Andean forests of Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut — the "Comarca Andina" around El Bolsón and Bariloche — where native lenga, coihue and alerce forests grow.
Why are Patagonia's fires so hard to fight?
The region's ferocious winds can drive a fire across enormous distances in a short time and change its direction in minutes, making containment extremely difficult.
Are Patagonia's fires natural?
Most are started by people, whether accidentally or deliberately, then spread by wind and drought — native forest here rarely ignites on its own.
Where does this map's fire data come from?
Every hotspot comes from NASA's FIRMS system, using VIIRS satellites that detect active fires worldwide and update several times a day.