Fireproof Newspapers in Patagonia Spark Awareness about Forest Fires

Throughout early 2021, forest fires raged throughout the southern Argentinian region of Patagonia. The fires have been deadly – in March a fire left one person dead and seven seriously injured, and there have been multiple blazes in January and February.

95% of forest fires are started by humans, and of those many are started using newspapers as kindling. That’s why HOY Buenos Aires, part of Havas, teamed up with multiple partners to create and publish a fireproof newspaper.

News outlet Noticias de la Comarca, SeSocio Financial Investments and the Firefighters Foundation of Argentina came together with the agency to create an issue of the paper that was completely resistant to fire. The paper was covered in Argentina’s TV news and chat shows, increasing donations to the Firefighters Foundation by 500%.

The volunteer firefighters in the region have also voiced their support for the initiative. “Our forests are burning, there’s no turning back and it takes many, many years to recover,” says Captain Paula Mendez.

The campaign had a reach of 14.2m and interactions with the foundation increased by 70%.