BUENOS AIRES -- A forest fire that remained out of control Saturday has so far destroyed 577 hectares of the Los Alerces National Park, local media reported.

The fire affects an area near the Centinela stream inside Los Alerces National Park in Argentina's southern province of Chubut, the official news agency Telam reported, quoting Mario Cardenas, head of the park's fire, communications and emergency department.

Cardenas said that fire risk is at an "extreme level" and weather conditions are "adverse" for firefighting due to wind and high temperatures.

Los Alerces National Park, home to thousand-year-old larch forests, was created in 1937 and was declared a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site in 2017.