Have Israeli Nationals been arrested for starting forest fires in Patagonia?

1. The short, direct answer

A Chilean case from 2012 involved an Israeli tourist arrested on suspicion of negligently causing a large wildfire in Torres del Paine (Patagonia) and later released on bond, so an arrest has occurred historically in the region ^[1]; by contrast, recent accusations tied to the January 2026 Argentine blazes describe investigations and viral allegations of Israeli tourists lighting fires but do not provide clear, independently verified records of formal arrests of Israeli nationals being prosecuted for deliberately starting those Argentine fires ^{[4] [5] [6]}.

2. The 2012 Torres del Paine precedent

In January 2012 Chilean prosecutors arrested an Israeli tourist suspected of negligently starting a fire that burned thousands of hectares in Torres del Paine national park; reporting from Al Jazeera and the BBC documented the arrest, acknowledgement of negligence by the traveler and his subsequent release on bond, making this a documented instance of an Israeli national detained in connection with a Patagonia wildfire ^{[1] [7]}.

3. The 2026 Argentine fires: allegations, videos and probes

Since early January 2026, multiple opposition figures and social-media posts have circulated videos and claims alleging Israeli tourists or former IDF members were seen setting fires in Los Glaciares and Chubut, and local officials said some blazes were intentionally started and initiated investigations — but reporting shows these claims spread rapidly on social platforms and mainstream outlets while formal, independently verified arrests and evidence remain unclear in many accounts ^{[4] [8] [9]}.

4. Conflicting reports, sensational claims and contested evidence

Some outlets and social posts asserted that two Israelis were filmed setting fires and even claimed military-grade ordnance was found, while other reporting and community leaders described those assertions as false or unverified; Argentina’s Jewish community groups warned that pointing to “two Israelis” without evidence is irresponsible and dangerous, and media-watch pieces identified disinformation and politicised narratives amplifying the allegations ^{[10] [3] [2]}.

5. How officials have framed the situation

Provincial authorities in Chubut confirmed some fires were “sparked intentionally” and said investigations were under way, and national park and law-enforcement bodies warned intentional fire-setting is a criminal offense — but those official statements focused on intent and investigation rather than confirming the nationality or criminal prosecution status of specific suspects in widely circulated social-media claims ^{[4] [5]}.

6. The political and disinformation context that clouds verification

The wildfire controversy overlapped with sharp political debate over foreign land purchases, a viral A24 interview blaming “Israelis,” and prominent opposition figures amplifying foreign-involvement narratives — dynamics that independent observers and Buenos Aires Times reporting warn have turned the fires into a vehicle for conspiracy, scapegoating and misinformation, complicating clear public verification of arrests tied to nationality ^{[8] [2]}.

7. Conclusion — what can be stated with confidence

It is factual that at least one Israeli tourist was arrested in Patagonia-related wildfire proceedings in 2012 in Chile ^[1]; for the January 2026 Argentine blazes there are credible reports of investigations, viral accusations and some claims of detentions, but independent, authoritative confirmation that Israeli nationals have been formally arrested and charged for deliberately starting the recent Argentine fires is not established in the available reporting and must be treated as unverified ^{[4] [5] [6] [2]}.