BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - A forest fire in Argentina's southern Tierra del Fuego province has destroyed 7,000 hectares (17,300 acres) of woodland in two weeks, authorities said Tuesday.
The fire began on November 30 within the Corazon de la Isla natural reserve, an uninhabited area 3,000 kilometers south of Buenos Aires that includes indigenous tree species that can grow to more than 40 meters (130 feet) tall.
"It's a very complex fire in an area that is difficult to access, where the wind constantly changes," Gustavo Melella, governor of Tierra del Fuego province, told a press conference.
Some 85 firefighters are battling the blaze with the help of two helicopters and three water-dumping planes.
No injuries or fatalities have been reported.
Authorities are putting in place fire-break embankments but "with the wind, the flames overcome them," said Melella.
Dry southern-hemisphere summer weather and strong winds in the most southerly province of Argentina have made it harder for fire fighters.
And the weather conditions are not expected to improve in the coming days.