Trekking the W day 4 - fire evacuation time

The overnight winds had blown an incredible gail which significantly spread the fire through the park.

At 7:50am we were advised the park was being closed and everyone would be evacuated by bus. A small bus took us to the perimeter of the park where there was a staging area for all the stranded tourists who were advised to wait there for the larger buses who would take everybody back to Puerto Natales.

On the way to the staging area a brilliant rainbow formed and I took this blurry shot. Quite poetic to see the rainbow in this moment of crisis.

The park authorities did not appear to demonstrate much confidence and we waited 6 hours before fighting our way onto a bus.

You may see the news on CNN, BBC, etc of the evacuation and the scale of the fire. We were relieved to be in Puerto Natales and celebrated with a seafood dinner.

On reflection I don't think we were in any significant danger, however, it was an experience the group members will never forget.