The Travel Chica

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Tragedy in Torres del Paine: Stories from the Park

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After doing the day hikes in El Chalten, I was ready to take it a step further and complete the full circuit in Torres del Paine.  I was planning to carry in my food and tent and stay in the camp sites, attempting to finish in 7 days.

I never got that chance.

Much of Torres del Paine has burned to the ground.

I spent five days in Puerto Natales, the nearest city to the park where backpackers come to prepare for the trek.

I warn you this is a long post, and I hope you will read it in full.

There are many aspects about this situation that absolutely infuriate me, and I want to share pieces of the story (including photos) that I do not believe have been published in the traditional media.

This post is about my experience with the locals, the guides, and the travelers.

It was emotionally draining.

It was chaotic.

People were worried, confused, sad, and angry.

People went above and beyond to help in any way they could.

Friends comforted each other.

The Fire

The fire started on a Tuesday evening.  I arrived on Wednesday afternoon and went to the 3pm free Torres del Paine information session hosted at Erratic Rock where I also planned to rent my camping gear.  Very little information was being provided by CONAF, the organization that governs/ manages the national parks in Chile.

We were told that the fire was on the west side of the park near Lago Grey, and it was still okay to go in the park and hike everywhere else.  I decided to wait it out another day and see if the situation was improving or deteriorating.

Unfortunately, it continued to get worse and quickly.

On Thursday, park officials said it was still safe to go in the park even though the fire had spread further.  The French Valley was now closed.  At the 3pm Erratic Rock information session, a local guide showed up and pleaded with people to not enter the park.  He had just come from helping park officials fight the fires and told us that the situation was completely out of control and continuing to get worse.

Yet the park remained open to continue taking people’s entrance fees.

The park was officially closed on Friday because the fire continued to spread rapidly.  It was nowhere near being controlled.

The Story from the First Responder

I will never forget meeting Felipe.

He was dirty and had scratches on his face.  I have never seen someone look so exhausted.

Felipe is a guide and was leading a trekking tour of the park when the fire started.  He came to my hostel looking for a place to sleep after a very long and stressful couple of days.  He was the first person to discover the fire in Torres del Paine when it only covered 10-15 meters and was still possible to control.

The story he told is incredible.

On Tuesday around 5:30pm, he saw the fire on the west side of the park between the beach and the mirador.   He sent two people to the refugio to report the fire and summon help.  Knowing some techniques to fight a forest fire, he did what he could to dig trenches and utilize controlled-burn techniques.

After a couple of hours, two other people came to help him.  They toiled alone for hours before any help from park officials arrived.

“If we had 4 people at the beginning, we could have formed a brigade.  I did everything I could.

Nobody from CONAF arrived until almost midnight.

I saw the fire cross the river and go up the mountain.  It was the beginning of a fucking tragedy.

I was always one step behind the fire.  CONAF was always one step behind me.

We were told to come back quickly to Paine Grande to be evacuated.  I saw a huge curtain of smoke.  The refugio burned, and we lost tents, luggage, everything.  We slept in Cuernos on the floor like refugees.”

The Evacuees

Beginning Wednesday, people who had been evacuated from the park started showing up at my hostel.

Their stories were also incredible.

They talked about the complete lack of information at the refugio where they were awaiting evacuation.  What little information did get shared was only in Spanish.  Other travelers helped to disburse the information in other languages.

Some travelers decided they were not going to wait any longer and walked down to Lago Grey against instruction from the refugio staff.  When they got to the lake, they discovered that the only evacuation method was a tourist boat… which had brought a full load of tourists.

While the fire continued to grow, this boat actually did the full tour of the lake and the glacier, and THEN it stopped to pick up a few stranded backpackers.  Not many could fit of course, since the boat was full of tourists.

The worst part of all….

The boat was actually CHARGING evacuees US$70 for the ride!!  

This sign was posted in the refugio.

I was shocked when they told me the story.  I was infuriated when I saw the photographic proof.

Photos of the fire from the boat.

Unfortunately, I did not get the contact information for the Aussie couple who shared these photos with me.

The People of Puerto Natales Protest

On Friday, there was a gathering of locals in the central plaza of Puerto Natales.  I was not sure what to expect.  What I discovered was a very upset community.

They wanted answers.

A government-appointed official, responsible for things at a provincial level, was there to answer the questions.

His answers were not well-received.

In many cases, he did not have an answer.

Why are there so few firefighters in the park after 3 days of it burning?

With all the money that the park earns, what has the government done?

The park has already burned.  This affects jobs in the whole region, the whole country.  What is the solution?

 

 

What Went Wrong

From talking to locals, I get the impression that although it was the ignorance of tourists that caused the fire, the responsibility is on the government of Chile.  There have been two other fires in the past decade in Torres del Paine, yet somehow no lessons were learned.

Here are what I heard to be the main complaints:

No education on park safety.

Unlike entering El Chalten in Argentina, there is no mandatory information stop on the way into Torres del Paine to educate backpackers on safe hiking/ camping practices (i.e. never start a fire, how to safely use a camping stove).

The entire fire department system in Chile is voluntary.

Since all firefighters are voluntary, there just are not that many.  There are certainly not enough in the vicinity to react quickly.  There seems to be very little training on how to fight forest fires.

According to travelers in the park, they saw a small crew of firefighters arrive by boat on the second day of the fire.  They were very young and seemed to not know what to do with the equipment they were carrying.  They were even taking pictures of themselves.

There is no emergency plan for the park.

There seems to be no plan as to how to react to a fire, including how to evacuate the park.  I left Puerto Natales on the 6th day the fire was raging, and there were STILL tourists inside the park.

Communication both within the park and outside the park was terrible.

The government did not want to admit the problem was too big to handle.

When the last fire occurred, I was told that Chile waited a long time to ask for (or even allow) help from other countries.  Argentina sent in many firefighters and helped bring the last fire under control.

The same thing happened this time.

Only 1% of the entry fees collected by the park actually get invested into the park.

I learned this from a guide, so it may not be exact, but the point is clear.  The government routes the money elsewhere instead of investing in tourist education, fire training, and emergency plans.

What Now?

Felipe and another local guide Mauricio were the first people who made me realize how tragic this event is and how devastating the impacts could be to this region.

Torres del Paine is the crown jewel of tourism in Chile (and arguably South America).  The majority of tourists that come to southern Chile have a main goal of hiking Torres del Paine.  Of course they do other things, visit other areas, and take other tours, but it is certain that ALL tourism will suffer for years to come.

Even if the trails, campsites, and refugios get re-built, it will be generations before the beauty of the park returns to its previous state.

The tourism season is only late December through April in this part of the world.  This happened at the very start of the season.

What Can We Do To Help?

We can help by encouraging people to visit this area.

I have had an incredible time in Patagonia.  Because of the fire in Torres del Paine, I have learned about other great activities to do in this part of Chile.  A local tourism company in Punta Arenas has worked with the community to create a list of all of the options that exist in the area outside of Torres del Paine.

Take a look at the descriptions and photos of the activities and pass on the info to anyone who might be interested.

Contact Turismo Aonikenk to set up tours in the area.

You can also still visit Torres del Paine.

Note that this is the most current information I have as of the beginning of February.  So be sure to check for the latest info if you are visiting the park later in the season.

Most of the park is still open.

Note that as of now, you CANNOT camp in Paine Grande, Italiano, or Britanico.  It is not recommended to do the pass from Grey to Paine Grande because it is full of ashes.  However, that really is a small section of the full circuit.

So here are a couple of good options for travelers who want to visit the park:

  • Go to the Erratic Rock 3pm information session (held everyday) to get all the info you need to enter the park on your own.  They will tell you the route options and give you all kinds of tips, including how to dress, accommodations options in the park, trekking food, and even how to see the best sunrise of your life.
  • There is a section of the park that requires a guide because of the fire damage.   If you want to see the full park, check out this package tour that includes a local guide.

What I Want You To Do

I did not get to see the beauty of Torres del Paine, but I definitely plan to return another day.  If you have visited the park, please share a link to any photos or a blog post you wrote about the experience on my Facebook Fan Page.

If you have visited any other great spots in this part of Chile, please share a link to any photos or a blog post you wrote about the experience on my Facebook Fan Page.

I will then edit this post to include all of your great experiences and photos.

If you made it to the end of this post, I do appreciate you sticking with me 😉

___________________________________________________________________________

UPDATE:  Great Articles and Photos from the Travel Community

The travel community came through as expected.  Here are some great articles and photos from Chilean Patagonia.

100 Miles Highway

Katherina explored A LOT of Chilean Patagonia, and I chose three of her articles to highlight here.

Katherina had incredible weather and got some great photos of the beautiful French Valley in Torres del Paine.

Read the post and see the photos here.

 

She also took an expedition cruise from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas and got to explore Cape Horn, one of the most dangerous nautical passages in the world.

Read the article and check out the photos here.  

Katherina’s photos of penguins at Isla Magdalena made me jealous even though I saw them for myself in Puerto Madryn,

Read the article and check out the photos here.

Emily in Chile

I loved Emily’s post on a delicious and creative restaurant in Puerto Natales.  Food should always be a travel priority :-)

Read the post and see the photos here.

Emily’s visit to Torres del Paine was different than most I have read about.  She and her husband had a rental car and did some hiking and some driving through the park.  I really like this post because it shows a different experience from most.

Read the post and see the photos here.

LL World Tour

Lisa did something I wish I could have made work when I was in Puerto Natales.  She took the Navimag boat to the bottom of the world.

Read the post and see the photos here: 

 

After arriving in Puerto Natales, Lisa headed to Torres del Paine.  Although plagued with transportation issues, she got to see what she came to see.

Read the post and see the photos here:  

Quiet Wanderings

Cherina visited Torres del Paine prior to having her blog Quiet Wanderings, but she was nice enough to dig up her photos and scan them for me to share here.

 

 

 

Comments

  1. Well, I certainly made it to the end of your post and feel so much of your frustration. Hiking in the Torres is one of my best memories of my time in Patagonia and it is devastating to read about all this. I had heard about the fires but new nothing about all that you have talked about. I would encourage anyone who hasn’t been to the park to still go. It is an amazing part of the world and deserves to be seen. My trip was a while ago but will go have a hunt around and see if I can find some pics for you :)
    Cherina | Quiet Wanderings recently posted..The Road Less Travelled

  3. wow, I hope the government can rethink and redesign their financial spending before charging people for the entrance fee again. Honestly the government should pay for the tourists and others for evacuation, especially when they let people in even though the fire was still going on. I feel your frustration girl. Hopefully you get a good rest after this and have a safe trip onto your other adventures.
    Annie recently posted..Museums After Dark: Legion of Honor

    • I was told that all the money earned from the national parks goes into one big government fund. There is a specific budget for the national parks, but I do not believe it is based on earnings of the parks. Of course, Torres brings in much more than the other parks, and those other parks have to be maintained too.

      I think the that the budget for the national parks is simply too small if it cannot include education for hikers and staff and emergency plans.

      You will soon learn that I did NOT get a good rest after this… more to come next week.
      Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Photo Essay: Trekking Near El Chalten

  7. It’s so sad. We only spent a weekend there but loved it and plan to go back in the future to do the full circuit. I can only imagine how angry and frustrated people there must have been with the lack of information and organization – I’m angry just reading your post!
    Emily in Chile recently posted..Tracking down best part of summer

    • I still get angry every time I think about it, and I wasn’t even inside the park dealing with it directly.

      I am not sure how long it will be before people can do the full circuit on their own again. But it is good to know this tour option is available. When I go back, I will want to do the full circuit too.
      Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Photo Essay: Trekking Near El Chalten

    • Definitely a mixture of incompetence (the workers in the park who had no clue what was going on) and greed (CONAF accepting entrance fees and the tourist boat charging for evacuation).

      Michael, I actually tried to go in the park with a group of guides to get more info and photos from what was happening with the actual firefight. The guides were going in to help the firefighters who were outnumbered and didn’t have knowledge of the terrain. At the last minute, one of the guides Mauricio decided he couldn’t take me because of how chaotic and dangerous it was in the park. (Note that the park was still officially open at this point.)
      Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Photo Essay: Trekking Near El Chalten

  9. I’m really sorry to hear that, it’s unbelievable that the Chilean government moves so slow when something like this happens, i heard they spend lots of money in buying war gear but they do not have a proper forest firefight team. When happened the earthquake in Chile the government refused the foreign help offered saying everything was ok when the truth was far away from that, the Argentine were the first in offering their help, and when the president of Chile authorized the entry to the country of Argentine troops those people finally got water, food and a medical care (they use a military mobile hospital from Mendoza). Lots of Chileans go to Argentina for medical care (i have friends in the health area there and they told me that lots of Chileans go to get HIV and cancer medicines and major surgery as well because they’re free in Argentina), to study for free because universities in Chile are expensive and many people can’t afford the tuition fees. I think this should be a wake up call to the Chilean authorities so they can realize in which useful ways spend their tax payers money.

    • Interesting to learn about this. I do get the impression that Chile doesn’t like to ask for help and would prefer to handle their own problems whether it is best for the people or not.

      I also heard about the high cost of education here in Chile. I’ve seen some protests and some graffiti about it.

      Chile seems to be a relatively rich country but does not like to invest much into infrastructure and social programs. Probably one of the reasons they were not as affected by the recent world economic crisis but also one of the reasons they sold water rights to Spain (more protests and opposition going on related to that). Definitely a complicated country to understand.
      Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Photo Essay: Trekking Near El Chalten

  11. When we visited last year we did not feel that the park was well-run. Toilets were simply closed after becoming too overloaded during high season and the refugios were filthy. The staff did not care as it was “end of season” and those of us who were there were almost inconvenient to them. That was the feeling I got anyway. So I can’t say that I’m surprised by what has transpired here but the people responsible for the poor response and lack of emergency preparedness should be ashamed of themselves nonetheless.

    Two people were also killed in a house fire while we were at TDP – it was staff from a resort who died overnight in a fire at the place where they lived – perhaps from a heater. It seems that fire safety and knowledge is lacking in general in TDP as you’ve pointed out.
    Andrea recently posted..Foodies Guide to Margaret River

  16. Wow, great information! I am headed there next month and I’ve had a lot of questions about the fire’s impact on the park and the local community. Thanks for sharing!

  19. Thanks for sharing this story.

    These stories of incompetence are always frustrating and it makes me especially grateful for the amazing park rangers, staff and fire fighters we have here in the US. When we hear about people saying we should cut funding for these kinds of services here at home, we should remind them of the cost. This is a perfect example.
    Caanan @ No Vacation Required recently posted..A Travel Dream – Show Up at the Airport and Go Anywhere.

  21. Just a few days ago on Tuesday the 7th February we in the state of Victoria, Australia commemorated the 3rd anniversary of the Black Saturday fires that killed 178 people in at least five separate areas. That same things you talked about in your article happened here. Government incompetence on a grand scale and people not given answers at the time the fires happened.

    In my part of the world, well in my state anyway we have two fire departments, one paid, which is the MFB: the Melbourne Fire Brigade who service solely the Melbourne area but not all the Melbourne area and everything outside that area is handed by a volunteer force called the CFA: the Country Fire Authority.

    On the day it happened the weather was 47 degrees celcius in the shade, an all time record for Melbourne and the state of Victoria. You would think that being Australia and Victoria being the capital of bush fires in this country that they would have deployed the Melbourne Fire Brigade to the country areas outside of Melbourne in anticipation of such fires happening as the weather bureau had warned everybody all that week in the media that it could happen. But no. The Melbourne Fire Brigade stayed in their fire stations while fires raged throughout the state.

    So it was left to the volunteers to fight the fires in the country and they simply couldn’t cope and couldn’t handle the unprecedented blazes. The volunteers themselves were in danger and hand to flee from the fires for their lives. One town called Marysville got wiped off the map that day and the townsfolk had to flee for their lives to the local football ground as an absolute last resort.

    Imagine being stuck in a football ground with fire 30 metres high surrounding you in all directions. That’s what happened to these guys.

    Now imagine this. You’re a firefighting volunteer and in your hand is a CB radio and people are stuck in their homes trying to ride out the fire because they were told that that was the thing to do when a fire is coming and you can’t get out. And you hear these people screaming at you over the CB radio to come and rescue them because that is what the volunteer firefighters do in this situation. But they can’t because the fire is too intense and they themselves can’t move from the football ground because fire is literally all around them.

    When the fire subsided the volunteer firefighters went to the houses of the people who had pleaded to them over the radio for help. The found them all dead in their bathrooms with blankets over them; what they were advised to do by the government in the event the fire was too much for them to defend against and too late for them to flee from. Think about the nightmares these firefighters would have had and the guilt they still carry even though these men and women are heros for even volunteering on a day like that.

    And speaking of government incompetence. The police commissioner at the time was the person responsible for coordinating the emergency response decided that rather than stay and do her job that night, that she would rather go out for dinner with friends while the fires were still raging and people were still dying. Nobody has ever forgotten that and nobody will forgive her for what she did. Eventually she quit due to the media pressure and community outrage.

    Thousand upon thousands of people were left traumatized and homeless. Parents without children, children without parents.

    Millions upon millions of dollars worth of damage to property.

    What happened after that was a massive Royal Commission of Enquiry that got to the bottom of what happened and it’s findings were made public for all to see.

    What we saw was that the government had no central authority to oversee the emergency services. There were numerous emergency services all over the place and none were talking to each other. This cost time and lives. But since then we now have that single authority to oversee the emergency services.

    Also what came out of the Royal Commission was that the decision to allow people to stay at home and fight the fires on a day like that was a flawed one and should never have been policy for what we called at the time “extreme fire days”. Since then we have a new rating system that ranges from “low” fire danger to “catastrophic”. Catastrophic means that if you live in a fire prone area you must leave your home and go to a safe place or Melbourne for the day to get away from the fire danger. You are not to stay at home and hope for the best like so many people did on Black Saturday.

    The government here also has conducted a voluntary buy back of properties in areas that are far to risky to rebuild in such as areas with only one way out or mountains all around.

    I’m sorry that you had to go through the experience that you did. But in comparison to what happened here on Black Saturday…yes the government of Chile has a lot of answering to do and it looks like a change of policy is needed along with the resources to back it up. The boat that charged people to rescue them ought to have their license to operate yanked from them and told that they can’t have it back until they undertake to rescue people for free from now on.

    After all is said and done, I can understand you are angry. But you got out of that experience alive and unhurt thanks to your own smarts and possibly the help of other people. And they say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

    So you have a lot to have gratitude for in comparison to what happened to 178 people here and countless thousands left homeless.

    • Shocking that something so devastating happened only a few years ago in Australia. This is such a tragic story. Shocking that people were told to “ride it out.” That doesn’t make any sense at all in a fire situation.

      It does seem like Australia’s government did the right thing to at least learn from this tragedy and take preventative measures so something like Black Saturday never happens again.

      Thanks so much for sharing.
      Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..When a Hostel Defines Your Travel Experience

      • Yes it was definitely shocking. I was choking back tears when writing about that original comment because the memories of that day are still quite raw for many people. To the south of the little country town where I now live is a town called Churchill that had a lot of its homes destroyed and 10 people perished on that day. That fire was deliberately lit by an ex firefighting volunteer and he got caught in time. It was only this week that his Supreme Court trial began. He was charged with 10 counts of arson causing death. I think personally he should have been charged with ten murders. The media said this week that he has an autism spectrum disorder and is using this as his defence. His actions caused a lot of damage including knocking out all of the local broadcasting equipment and telecommunications. A lot more people could have got killed that day.

  22. So tragic and probably mostly needless. I read one short story on cnn.com reporting the fire in progress and never another word of followup here. I didn’t make it to TDP and Patagonia this year but it has been a goal of mine to visit and hike there for decades.

    The lack of organization and government oversight is appalling, especially considering their previous track record. This is not Nicaragua or Guatemala (both of which I adore). This is Chile, an affluent first world sophisticated nation.

    Although it righteously pisses me off to read this, your account is well articulated and reasonably balanced.
    Philip recently posted..My 2011 Travel Review from A to Z

  27. Hi Stephanie, first of all – thanks a lot for the mention! We were extremely lucky, since the fire only started at the end of our stay and didn’t affect any of our routes. In fact, the day I hiked to Base Torres, another group that decided to do Valle del Francés had to return haf way because the smoke had already reached that part of the park.
    It was really a terrible happening that left everyone feeling devastated. Our guides provided regular updates on the situation and the skies, which at one point were clear blue, were covered in smoke up to the point that we couldn’t see the Cuernos anymore.
    I had no idea that they actually charged evacuees for the boat ride – that’s unacceptable!!
    Great summary of the story and the bigger issues behind it.
    Katherina recently posted..I Eat Patagonia.

  28. Every time I read about this fire, it saddens me. The way the Chilean government handles this is tragic. Your post is the most comprehensive I’ve seen so far on this topic, and I appreciate it. Love your idea of showing the world the beauty of this part of the world, fire or no fire.
    Ayelet – All Colores recently posted..Boston: Some Culture and a New Life

  29. I can imagine it was frustrating and chaotic in Puerto Natales as the fire was burning. Thankfully you were not in the park and were out of harm’s way.

    I just returned from completing the circuit trek in Torres. It was spectacular. The only part of your original post that I take issue with is when you say, ‘Much of Torres Del Paine has burned to the ground.’ That is not the case. Yes, there is a large portion between Refugio Grey and Campamento Italiano (and the whole Paine Grande area) that was burned, but the park is flourishing and full of tourism even so late in the season. Might you be able to amend that part of your post? Or write a correction? I don’t want future travelers to be scared away from such a magnificent park.

    • Hi, Natalie. Glad you got to do the circuit. I hope to go back one day to experience it.

      I used the word “much” instead of the “majority” because I know that although a lot of the park was untouched, a lot was burned (especially compared to previous fires). At the bottom of the post, I do encourage people to go because it is still a spectacular place.

      Thanks for sharing your experience and showing that it is still a wonderful place to visit.
      Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Finding a Comfortable Apartment in Santiago with Roomorama

  30. Its very sad that things were so unorganized and that they didnt have a plan set for evacuation. It is shameful that the boat was charging $70 to evacuate people. The photo taken of the Penguins is gorgeous.
    Lisa recently posted..Live a Little; with Grace

  31. I can’t believe your bad luck getting there the day after the fire, although I guess that’s better luck than getting stuck there with no evacuation route. Having just done the W trek in December 2012, I can say it’s still stunning, and at least they have a lot of rules in place about not lighting stoves or smoking outside of designated areas. I hope nothing like this ever happens again.

  32. Hola Stephanie from the aforementioned Aussie couple of the Photos on the Boat fame hah!
    How extraordinarily funny to find you after all this time! Dave and I were talking about those awful few days stuck in the Park and PN and thought to ourselves, we HAVE to go back. Especially considering we were only on Day 2 of trek when the fire struck.

    So here I am googling about to get an update on the Park when one of the results is your website, and as I read this I think she looks familiar….. oh wait! The journalist girl!

    I hope you are well and thank you for chronicling the absolute ineptitude of CONAF. It looks like the park is slowly getting back on its feet and we will definitely be returning…and not paying US$70 to get out! Oh we should probably add all passengers got a shot of whisky with a clump of glacier ice hmmm…..!

    Wishing you all the best, meeting yourself and all of the other travellers that week was something nice to come out of it all :)

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