Fires burn Easter Island heads

Easter Island statues burnt - 21st November 2022

Fires on Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, have caused massive damage to the island's iconic stone heads.

The destruction of more than 100 hectares of the Rapa Nui national park is visible from space, from NASA's Landsat 9 satellite. The island's mayor, Pedro Edmunds Paoa, states the fires were intentional, as "all fires on Rapa Nui are caused by human beings."

Some are blaming the island's farmers, who routinely burn off the dry grass to create fresh new growth for their sheep and cattle.

Lying 3,700 kilometres from any continent's coast, Easter Island is the world's remotest island populated by human beings. Rapa Nui national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its architectural traditions. These were developed by a community free from external influences for over a millennium. In the 1200s, the island's original people carved the statues, or 'moai', out of volcanic rock. The gigantic figures, rising from 2 to 20 metres in height, are believed to represent community chiefs.

Although each head will be eventually eroded by the weather, the fire damage will speed up this process. Ariki Tepano, who leads the organisation in charge of the park, has stated the situation cannot be reversed. Cracks from the heat have weakened the statues. Some of the fine details on the ancient faces have been blackened and burnt.

The disaster comes only months after the island welcomed tourists back following the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, some worry how many more generations will have the opportunity to see the heads face to face.

Whilst there is hope that the statues can be treated to prevent further damage, Mayor Paoa is pessimistic. He explained, "The cracking of an original and emblematic stone cannot be recovered, no matter how many millions of euros or dollars are put into it."