Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Uncontrolled wildfires have burned between 37,000 and 52,000 acres of native forest in Argentina's Patagonia, according to the Servicio Meteorológico Nacional and the Servicio Nacional de Manejo del Fuego.
The fires have forced mass evacuations and renewed scrutiny of recent land-use policies amid a historic drought.
The first blazes were detected on Jan. 5 in the province of Chubut, and within days spread rapidly across broad forested areas of southern Argentina.
A combination of prolonged drought, high temperatures and strong winds fueled the rapid advance of the flames and complicated containment efforts.
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