2024-05-08 16:35:28
On Saturday morning, in the middle of a heavy snowfall, it caught fire the Pichi Ruca shelter on the northern slope of Cerro Otto de Bariloche. The damage to the wooden cabin was total, but there were no casualties.
The Berghof refuge was the home of the founder of the Bariloche Andean Club, Otto Meiling. A few meters away, the German mountaineer had built two other bungalows, known as Tábanos and Pichi Ruca, where received its guests back in the 40s. In addition, there was a workshop that became the first ski factory that would lead to the first ski center in South America.
Berta Sebastián, manager of the Club Andino Bariloche, commented that currently the two cabins (Tábanos and Pichi Ruca) were used by the shelterers to spend the night. «One of them caught fire at five in the morning, because they left the salamander on. When they realized it, it was too late. They discharged the fire extinguishers, but there was not much to do,” he said.
He said the fire broke out in the middle of snowfall. Despite calls to the police and firefighters, only the latter were able to access the place, walking the last stretch. «The firefighters, together with the shelter workers, managed to put out the fire with the same snow. Luckily, thanks to the snowfall, it didn’t get worse and the forest didn’t burn.«Sebastián highlighted.
The Andino Club has already made the insurance claim. In February, the institution had called for a private tender for the commercial exploitation and provision of services of the Berghof refuge. The concession covers the main shelter, the Pichi Ruca and Tábanos cabins and the Otto Mailing house museum.
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