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Forest patrol will tour communes of Ñuble detecting people who cause fires

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Each preventive patrol will include an enforcement officer and two patrol motorcycles surveying the area, as stated by the Chief of the Ñuble Carabineros Zone, General María Teresa Araya.

The wildfire season officially began in Ñuble this week, a period marking the highest occurrence of these incidents due to rising temperatures.

Although the season starts on July 1 each year and ends on June 30 of the following period, the launch milestone reinforces the call for prevention, along with increasing coordination among the various responsible agencies, such as the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), Firefighters, or Carabineros.

The latter entity introduced the so-called "Forest Patrol," which, as every year, is responsible for carrying out preventive patrols in different communes of Ñuble. The plan includes reinforcements to identify those responsible for causing these incidents.

This year, the launch took place in Ninhue, with personnel from the Disaster Prevention and Response Service (Senapred), Conaf crews, the Presidential Delegation, and Firefighters in attendance.

The itinerary included an aerial survey in the morning over Quillón, Portezuelo, Ránquil, and Ninhue, aiming to monitor the highest-risk communes and detect any factors that could pose a fire threat.

In this context, the regional presidential delegate, Rodrigo García, stated that the forest patrols "are focused on the most important task: preventing wildfires."

"Joint work has been carried out between Conaf, Carabineros, and municipalities through communal Cogrids, where people have been informed and trained to understand that the best way to combat wildfires is through prevention. For this, measures must be taken in advance," the authority mentioned.

Regarding this last point, he detailed that it is crucial to "remove vegetative material and avoid actions that could risk causing fires during high-risk periods."

"We call on the entire community to prevent and avoid fires. In cases where they occur, we encourage people to report them because we must combat the criminals who are causing fires that inflict great harm, not only on the environment but primarily on families," he emphasized.

Each preventive patrol will include an enforcement officer and two patrol motorcycles surveying the area, as stated by the Chief of the Ñuble Carabineros Zone, General María Teresa Araya.

"The important thing is that we have significantly increased our preventive patrols, which will include an enforcement officer and two all-terrain motorcycles," explained the General.

Reporting

Carabineros will also receive any reports related to crimes that could lead to wildfires. This year, this effort will be reinforced by the Forensic Laboratory (Labocar), investigating such incidents.

"Reports can be made by calling 133 so we can coordinate with other organizations to take action. Another important aspect is that our Forensic Laboratory will join this campaign initially. If applicable, we will be able to investigate fires with the Ñuble Labocar," added Araya.

Source:La Discusión