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Fires burn Easter Island heads - 21st November 2022

Fires on Easter Island – Rapa Nui – have damaged the island's famous heads.

The fires destroyed a huge part of the Rapa Nui national park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. NASA's satellite, the Landsat 9, can see the black areas from space. The island's mayor, Pedro Edmunds Paoa, is sure it didn't begin by accident. Some people believe the fires were started by sheep farmers. The land is often burned to produce fresh grass.

Easter Island lies 3,700 kilometres from any continent. The Rapa Nui people lived on the island for a thousand years. There were no visitors from outside so life on the island never changed. The local people created the statues in the 13th century.

The 2-20 metre statues are made of rock. Over time, the weather is slowly damaging them. The recent fires have made the situation worse. Some of the stone faces have lost details. There are cracks in the rock too.

Some people are hopeful that the statues can be protected in the future. But the director of the park, Ariki Tepano, isn't so confident.

Easter Island has now reopened to tourists. Those lucky visitors can see the statues before it's too late.