©Ignacio Torres

Major forest fires in southern Patagonia has burned more than 5,500 hectares, authorities said Saturday, as hundreds of firefighters and volunteers battled to contain the blaze threatening small communities. The fire broke out Monday at Puerto Patriada, about 1,700 km (1,050 miles) southwest of Buenos Aires in the southern Patagonia region, and has since surrounded Epuyén, a town of 2,000 residents. “There’s no way to describe what we’re living through. Every five minutes a new fire starts. It’s hell,” said local resident Flavia Broffoni on Instagram. Ignacio Torres, the governor of the surrounding Chubut Province, said on social media that 5,500 hectares had already burned and warned the next 48 hours would be critical due to adverse weather.