The fire returned to punish El Hoyo this summer, once once more.
The cook and pastry chef Almendra Guillier Riquelme experienced it dramatically, together with her family and neighbors from her community.
Now, past the last clouds of smoke and stepping on ashes, this entrepreneur tells what it’s like to roll up your sleeves and move on.
“Last Sunday, January 15, a forest fire started for unknown reasons, yes, one more in our beloved town, El Hoyo. But this time it started 500 meters from our farm and, as expected, it reached us quickly. The weather conditions did not help. It was very hot, the ground was dry and there was a strong wind”, Almendra tells Yo Como.
The fire spread immediately through the forest, without affecting houses, crossing from one side of the road to the other, passing through the vineyards until it reached her family’s farm, where she also has her kitchen where she makes her triple award-winning alfajores. world last year.
“We are on the slopes of the Currumahuida hill, 5km from the town of El Hoyo and we have a farm with organic and family production of fine fruits, fruit trees and an orchard. We also have chickens and bee hives since my dad is a beekeeper. We make Premium Artisanal Alfajores and we were awarded a gold medal in the “Triple” category at the Alfajor World Cup 2022. The logo of our label reflects this story in its image, illustrating every detail of the farm. My mother is a fan of flowers and she takes great care of her garden, which is why the logo is full of colors and the flowers of the retamos stand out, a native tree of the area that gives our farm its name, ”she adds.
The fire was coming upon us
That Sunday the farm changed. “Everything started to burn. We saw how the fire was coming on us and there was not much to do. Firefighters, brigade members, people from Fire Management, from Forest Fires arrived, helicopters and hydrant planes began to fly and there was hope.
“We prepared everything to evacuate. Important papers, dogs and cats above the car and we leave everything ready to go if necessary. But we thought we would stay there until the last moment. We made hose connections and began to wet around the houses, the walls, the grass… Relatives of ours came to help, they brought a motor pump, a generator set and shovels to fight the fire.”
The fire surrounded the houses. “Ours and that of the neighbors. He took forest, native trees and a cypress from my grandparents’ time. We were lucky that no building was burned. Today I can tell this with much more calm and I can thank the work of all the people who collaborated with us as well as the hard work of the institutions and the authorities”.
“It might have been much worse but I don’t even want to imagine it,” Almendra tells this medium.
“When you are in the middle of the maelstrom, when you see how the flames of fire are coming towards you, when you see that this monster advances and burns, the only thing that crosses your mind is to resist. Resist. Contain the fire, take care of the houses, take care of the family”.
They were very fast and very difficult hours, he admits. Feet and skin burned. The heat came from the floor, from the earth. Smoke was in the air.
“Night fell and the danger had ceased. The fire had already passed through the farm and was high on the hill. Helicopters and planes worked until late. We had a breather. We were able to calm down and become aware of what was happening. We sorted ourselves out and organized for the next day. The fire was not over.”
“The next day we dedicated ourselves to cooling the floor and turning off hot spots. There were green spaces left and we had to try to keep them from igniting so that they do not generate new sources of fire. Again family and friends accompanying you unconditionally. From the farm you might see the tongues of fire at the top of the mountain, ”she shares.
The fire was brought under control the following day. “He did not burn any houses. We resist”.
of alfajores this week and share it.
Almendra had to stop production for a week. He then returned to the charge. The middle of January had all the production sold. How to get to fulfill the orders.
Back in the race. Like the good Patagonian that it is.
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Who is Almendra, the top pastry chef in the Andean region? Click to learn more.
