"The people are saving the people." In Argentine Patagonia, this phrase returns whenever a wildfire threatens our homes and forests. People say it with pride and gratitude, and sometimes with the exhaustion of knowing they may have to organize all over again when the next wildfire comes.
Image by Joel Reyero @naturalflash
In the Comarca Andina, a group of mountain towns and rural communities in northwestern Patagonia, near the border between Río Negro and Chubut provinces, the phrase describes something very concrete. Someone offers a truck. Others bring water, food, fuel, or tools. Neighbors help coordinate evacuations, open their homes to displaced families, circulate information through local networks, and organize supplies for those fighting the flames.