Easter Island volcano fire damages Moai stone heads of Rapa Nui

The Moai Stone Heads of Easter Island have been damaged by fires on the Rano Raraku volcano. Photo / Municipality of Rapa Nui, Supplied

The stone heads of Easter Island have been damaged in a volcanic blaze.

The Moai of Rapa Nui are one of the ancient treasures of the Pacific Ocean. The scrub fire on the Rano Raraku volcano caused extensive heat and smoke damage to the 500-year-old treasures.

The stone sculptures, each weighing up to 14 tonnes, are one of the ancient mysteries which bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the island each year.

More than 100 hectares of the island - including the Unesco heritage archaeological sites - were damaged in the blaze which started on Thursday, according to a statement from the Municipality of Rapa Nui.

Ariki Tepano, director of the Ma'u Henua community in charge of the park's management, said that much of the damage was "irreparable". While charred earth and black volcanic ash was evident, Tepano said "consequences go beyond what the eyes can see".

Damages to the Moai 'go beyond what the eyes can see', say officials. Photo / Municipality of Rapa Nui; Supplied

While some news outlets reported that the fire was sparked by the Rano Raraku volcano within the Unesco world heritage site, local authorities were still investigating.

In a radio interview, the island's mayor Pedro Edmunds Paoa said that it was "not an accident".

Talking to local broadcaster Radio Pauta, the mayor said more could have been done to prevent the blaze by park management, and that "all the fires on Rapa Nui are caused by human beings."

The park highlighted a lack of volunteers as one of the main obstacles in combating the blaze over the weekend.

Fire damage in the Rapa Nui National Park. Photo / Municipality of Rapa Nui; Supplied

"As a community, we have to take care of this problem," said presidential delegate Juliette Hotus, speaking with representatives of the local fire and emergency services following the fire.

The ugly, permanent scars on the heritage site comes at a bad time for the island's tourism industry, which is only just starting to recover.

Rapa Nui reopened to tourists only three months ago, after a two year pandemic lockdown.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, cruise and adventure tourism was one of the main sources of income on the island, with 160,000 visitors arriving a year.