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Bío Bío: Prosecutor's Office Confirms Responsibility of Power Companies in Forest Fires

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The Prosecutor's Office, through the Regional Prosecutor of Bío Bío, Marcela Cartagena, confirmed this Wednesday—based on scientific evidence—the responsibility of power companies in the ignition and spread of forest fires that affected communes in the region.

Among these, three of the largest fires occurred last February as part of these emergencies.

"The procedures carried out today pertain to three key events: the fire that affected the San José Grande estate in the commune of Nacimiento on December 29, 2022 (…) The second is the fire on February 3, 2023, which impacted the communes of Nacimiento and Santa Juana, where tragically 17 people died (…) And the fire that affected the sectors of Llico and Punta Lavapie in the commune of Arauco, which also occurred on the same date, where at least 80 families lost their first and only homes," stated Cartagena.

Along the same lines, the Regional Prosecutor of Bío Bío stated that "these investigations have scientifically, accurately, and forensically established, through the work of the Investigative Police and CONAF, that the causes of these fires were electrical accidents caused by high-voltage power lines."

Cartagena did not stop there, reiterating that "it has been scientifically established that these three fires started in this manner."

Under the term "electrical accident," the Investigative Police explained that this was due to inadequate maintenance of the clearance between forests and electrical wiring.

In this regard, it was clarified that it is entirely the responsibility of the companies in question to maintain the electrical supply in optimal conditions.

Prosecutor's Office Operation Regarding Forest Fires

The Regional Prosecutor's Office of Bío Bío began simultaneous raids this Wednesday morning on the offices of power companies in at least six Chilean cities.

According to information gathered by the Investigation Unit of BioBioChile, the inquiry seeks to establish accountability for the mega-forest fires this summer that left 26 people dead.

Sources from this outlet report that the judicial case involves 17 fatalities who lost their lives in the Santa Ana fire, which affected the communes of Nacimiento, Santa Juana, and Coronel.

Additionally, the investigation also includes the events in Llico, where flames destroyed more than fifty homes.

Specifically, these were search, seizure, and confiscation orders for documentation and equipment in the offices of Coelcha and theSaesa Group, located from the Metropolitan Region to Los Lagos.

Regarding the latter, Prosecutor Cartagena stated that the investigative procedures aimed to "determine whether personnel from these two companies were involved or bear criminal responsibility for the events that occurred."

Source:www.biobiochile.cl