La Rioja Province wildfire prompts orange wind zonda alert

The Provincial Emergency System of La Rioja issued a yellow alert for isolated rain, strong winds, smoke and the wind zonda phenomenon across several departments, with wind speeds up to 100 km/h in the mountains. An orange alert for wind zonda was also declared, warning of reduced visibility and rapid temperature rises.

Firefighters have contained about 70 % of the forest‑fire fronts in the province, with the remaining active focus in the southern sector of Chilecito. Volunteer firefighters, police, civil defence and three AT‑802 water‑bombing aircraft continue the operation, although the aircraft were temporarily grounded due to poor visibility. The police of Chilecito opened an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.