This is Elías Salazar, 39, who was a volunteer firefighter in the past and who until his arrest was an official of the state National Service for Prevention and Response to Disasters (Senapred).
“He is the perpetrator. He participated on the day of the fire and he is also the perpetrator of one of the outbreaks that started” the fire, explained Guillermo Gálvez, head of the Investigative Police of the Valparaíso region.
Salazar’s arrest follows that of another firefighter and a forestry worker who were arrested in May for their role in the fires.
Regarding the motivations that led him to start the fire with the other two detainees, Gálvez said that it was the pleasure of “participating in emergencies.”
“According to what he says, (…) he likes to be a hero, participating and helping when emergencies occur,” said the police chief.
The new suspect will be brought before the court on Tuesday, charged with arson causing death.
On February 2, several fires broke out simultaneously around Viña del Mar, 110 km northwest of Santiago.
According to investigations, the fire started with several simultaneous outbreaks near Lake Peñuelas, in the Valparaíso region, 35 km from Viña del Mar.
The heat and intense gusts of wind that day, in the middle of the southern summer, quickly spread the flames.
The disaster caused 137 deaths and 16,000 victims, according to official figures.
The fire in Chile is the second deadliest in the world this century.
From the beginning, local authorities pointed out that this was an intentional act.
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2024-09-11 12:27:28