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Protocol Activated to Combat and Investigate Forest Fires in Biobío

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Just days before the start of the most critical forest fire season in the Biobío region, the Public Ministry convened Conaf, Corma, the PDI, Carabineros, and Firefighters to establish a new protocol that strengthens inter-institutional coordination and optimizes investigations of such incidents.

The initiative was driven by the regional prosecutor of Biobío, Marcela Cartagena, and also involves the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), the Investigative Police (PDI), Carabineros, and Firefighters.

The regional prosecutor stated that a compendium of good practices and experiences from previous years was made "to finalize a protocol that establishes how investigations into forest fires will be conducted, interacting with the institutions that were convened," she added.

The document establishes general and operational coordinators; reporting channels; safeguarding of the incident site and initial procedures, among other activities.

CORMA

Margarita Celis, general manager of Corma Biobío-Ñuble, expressed that "forest companies make ourselves available for this work because we know the urgency and need for timely investigations, having greater access to the evidence and information we obtain, so that it is available for those inquiries to successfully identify the culprits."

CONAF

From the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), they reiterated their concern about the upcoming scenario, where high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds are forecasted.

Regarding the intentionality of the incidents, the regional director of the state entity in Biobío, Esteban Krause, recalled that "in this region, more than 50% of forest fires are intentional, and from that perspective, the more we can coordinate all the actors who—in one way or another—work to determine responsibilities, the better results we may achieve than those we have obtained so far," he stated.

PDI

The head of the Biobío Police Region of the PDI, Inspector Prefect Claudia Chamorro, said that "we have a deployment in the three provinces of the region where teams specialized in fire investigation have been trained."

She added that with the activation of the Environmental and Cultural Heritage Crimes Investigative Brigade (Bidema), specialization for investigating forest fires in Biobío will be reinforced.

ARMED AND SECURITY FORCES

The head of National Defense for the provinces of Arauco and Biobío, Rear Admiral Arturo Oxley, explained that "we prioritize those forest fires that affect the population. That is our priority. But also, under a State of Exception condition, we could, for example, guard the forest brigade members from the rear while they are attacking the fire."

PROTOCOL

The implementation of the protocol also includes a series of training sessions to be developed by the participating organizations.

After being presented at a working meeting held at the Regional Prosecutor's Office of Biobío, the training sessions, which are part of the inter-agency work plan, will begin in the coming days.

FIRE USE RESTRICTION

The National Forestry Corporation (CONAF) announced that, from November 13 until further notice, the use of fire for controlled burning of agricultural and forestry waste is restricted in all communes of the Biobío Region.

This measure aims to prevent forest fires in a context of high vulnerability, considering the meteorological conditions forecasted for the region, where wind speeds exceeding 20 km/h with gusts between 40 and 50 km/h are projected, along with high temperatures.

The regional director of Conaf Biobío, Esteban Krause, highlighted the importance of the measure. "During this time of year, when the risk of fires increases, limiting the use of fire for controlled burns is essential to protect our communities and preserve our natural resources. We cannot take risks: prevention remains our best tool against these emergencies that cause irreparable damage," he stated.

Meanwhile, the Regional Minister of Agriculture, Pamela Gatti, made a direct appeal to the public. "We urge farmers, forestry workers, and neighbors to adopt good practices in waste management. The collaboration of everyone is key to preventing incidents that could endanger the integrity of our communities and our forests," she added.

Meanwhile, the Regional Minister of Agriculture, Pamela Gatti, made a direct appeal to the public. "We urge farmers, forestry workers, and neighbors to adopt good practices in waste management. The collaboration of everyone is key to preventing incidents that could endanger the integrity of our communities and our forests," she added.

If illegal burns are detected, the community can report through the following channels: Carabineros: 133 and CONAF: 130. Those who carry out burns during the restriction period face severe penalties, including fines and even detention.

This conduct is considered a classified crime, with penalties that can include medium-grade minor imprisonment (71 days to 3 years) and fines between 11 and 50 Monthly Tax Units (UTM).

Source:La Tribuna