A forest fire that ravaged a portion of Easter Island has damaged several of its enormous moai carved stone statues.

Several of Easter Island’s giant moai stone statues were damaged by a forest fire that decimated a section of the island.

As the fire expanded over the Rapa Nui national park, 3,500 kilometres (2,175 miles) off the west coast of Chile, the historic site reportedly sustained ‘irreparable’ damage.

Approximately 100 hectares (247 acres) or more of the Rano Raraku sector, which includes the moai and wetland sector, were destroyed, according to a statement on the national park’s official Facebook page on Thursday.

The island, which is located 3,500 kilometres (2,175 miles) off the west coast of Chile, has been completely destroyed by fire, according to Carolina Perez, undersecretary for cultural preservation.

Rapa Nui is home to more than 1,000 stone carvings, some of which have huge heads. It is believed that these statues date back to the 13th century, when the island’s first inhabitants lived there. The Rano Raraku volcanic zone, a Unesco world heritage site, reportedly suffered the most damage.

The quarry where the stone used to carve the sculptures is mined is there, along with an estimated several hundred moai.