Chile|There is no information about the motive of the suspects.
Free fire department member and a state forest official intentionally started the historically devastating wildfires that killed 137 people in Chile in February, the prosecutor’s office alleges.
Both suspects were arrested on Friday. Their lawyers had not commented on the suspicions on Saturday.
The news agencies AFP and Reuters report on the matter.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office Francisco Pinto A volunteer firefighter from the Chilean Forestry Administration (Conaf), whose mission is to prevent forest fires, was behind the plot Francisco Ignacio Mondaca implemented it.
The Prosecutor’s Office According to the report, ignition devices made from cigarettes and matches were found at the scene of all four wildfires near the coastal city of Viña del Mar.
“We have material that shows that they agreed to work in cooperation while guaranteeing suitable weather conditions to carry out the fires”, the regional prosecutor of Valparaíso Claudia Perivancich said according to news agency Reuters.
The spread of wildfires was facilitated by a strong wind and a temperature of around 40 degrees.
It is the second deadliest wildfire in the world this century. 173 people died in wildfires in the Australian state of Victoria in February 2009.
Suspects the motive has not been clarified.
The judge gave the authorities half a year to complete the criminal investigation. Among other things, the fates of the missing victims and the phone records of the suspects are still under investigation.
Prosecutor Osvaldo Ossandón said, according to Reuters, that authorities were able to connect Mondaca, a 22-year-old volunteer firefighter, to six previous fires in the area.
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