Chile: suspects arrested in the deadly fire in Viña del Mar

After the fire registered in February in Viña del Mar, the arrest of a forestry official and a firefighter was carried out, who were identified as allegedly responsible for the incident.

The Police of Chile reported that A firefighter and a forestry official were arrested after being accused of being responsible for the fire that devastated the tourist city of Viña del Mar in Februaryresulting in the loss of 137 lives and the destruction of thousands of homes.

In a press conference, the director of the Investigative Police (PDI), Eduardo Cerna, announced that the firefighter was arrested “author of the fires that occurred in the month of February in the Valparaíso region.”

The Valparaíso Regional Prosecutor’s Office announced the arrest of another related individual: an employee of the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), institution responsible for the management of national parks and the fight against forest fires.

On Saturday, both individuals will face a detention check for the crime of fire with fatal consequences. The incidents occurred on February 2 in the vicinity of Viña del Mar, located 110 km northwest of Santiago, triggering 137 deaths and leaving 16,000 people affected, according to official data.

According to local media reports, The firefighter in custody is a 22-year-old young man who joined the volunteer corps in Chile a year and a half ago.

Iván Navarro, commissioner of the Investigation Brigade of crimes against the environment and heritage (Bidena), stated that The actions and movements of the arrested firefighter have been accurately reconstructedfrom before the start of the fire to after it.

In addition, it was possible to establish the involvement of another individual, who is identified as the alleged mastermind behind the incident.

According to local media reports, The detained firefighter, who is 22 years old, joined the volunteer corps in Chile a year and a half ago.

Iván Navarro, commissioner of the Brigade investigating crimes against the environment and heritage (Bidena), stated that has managed to accurately reconstruct the actions and activities of the detained firefighterboth before, during and after the start of the fire.

In addition, the involvement of another individual has been determined, who is being accused as the alleged intellectual author of the incident.

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