THOUSANDS of tourists have been forced to flee for their lives after devastating wildfires ripped through a popular British holiday hotspot.
Hundreds of firefighters have been battling a massive forest blaze, which ignited on Monday.
Unable to stop the roaring wildfire, more than 3,000 holidaymakers have now been evacuated from the Puerto Patriada lake resort town in southern Argentina.
Also known as “Patagonian Caribbean,” the resort town and protected area on the shore of Lake Epuyén in the municipality of El Hoyo is popular for outdoor adventure visitors.
The wildfire has burnt around 5,500 hectares (55 square km) of fields and forests in Comarca Andina, one of the top tourist destinations in the heart of the Andes Mountains.
A few dozen locals were also evacuated.
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The province’s governor, Ignacio Torres, said nearly 500 people had been deployed to battle the blaze including firefighters, rescuers, security forces, and support personnel.
Additional firefighting aircraft from Chile and Córdoba have also been sent to help.
Firefighters are reinforcing firebreaks, cooling hotspots, and opening and widening roads, Torres said on Instagram.
A red alert has been issued by Argentina’s National Fire Management Service for eight central and southern provinces which includes the Argentine Patagonia towns of El Bolson, Lago Puelo, and El Hoyo.
The area is known for beautiful mountains, lakes and forests popular with walkers.
The fire has spread to several protected areas nearby, even affecting residential areas.
It comes as Australia is also battling wildfires, plunging communities into crisis, leaving more than 70,000 homes and businesses without power
Tragically, three people remain unaccounted for.
Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner Tim Wiebusch confirmed firefighters are confronting as many as 30 active blazes statewide.
By Friday, conditions had reached breaking point.
The state’s fire danger rating surged to “catastrophic”, prompting the Country Fire Authority (CFA) to declare a statewide ban on all personal fires.
Authorities warned that extreme winds combined with temperatures soaring to 46 degrees Celsius would render any fires “undefendable”.
Victoria’s Premier, Jacinta Allan, said: “Today represents one of the most dangerous fire days that this state has experienced in years.”
One of the most destructive fires tore through bushland near the town of Longwood, burning more than 86,000 acres as flames advanced with terrifying speed.
Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Bob Gill said two adults and one child were unaccounted for in Longwood after firefighters advised them to shelter at home, as it was too dangerous to flee.