Easter Island still recovering from October wildfire that damaged moai statues

A wildfire in October that started on a cattle ranch but spread to Rano Raraku, where some of the famous moai statues are located, damaged some of the statues.

Around them, there has been a pervasive smell of smoke from still-smoldering vegetation – the vestige of a wildfire that broke out in early October. More than 100 moai were damaged by the flames, many of them blackened by soot, though the impact on the stone remains undetermined. UNESCO recently allocated nearly $100,000 for assessment and repair plans.

In this Polynesian territory that now belongs to Chile and is widely known as Easter Island, the loss of any moai would be a blow to ancient cultural and religious traditions. Each of the moai – the nearly 400 on the volcano and more than 500 others elsewhere on the island -- represents an ancestor. A creator of words and music. A protector.

The president of Rapa Nui’s council of elders, Carlos Edmunds, recalled his emotions when he first heard about the fire.