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Carabineros Reports That Victoria Fire Was Caused by Poorly Extinguished Authorized Burn

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Meanwhile, Araucanía Delegate Claims His Responsibility "Expires at Midnight on Saturday" According to the presidential representative, the responsibility "from the start of the fire until its complete extinguishment lies with those who requested this agricultural task."

Major controversy has arisen in the Araucanía Region over the decision by Conaf and presidential delegate Eduardo Abdala to authorize controlled burns last Friday and Saturday.

This is because wildfires spread over the weekend, affecting the area, with Traiguén as the epicenter.

Amid criticism over these burns, Carabineros General Patricio Yáñez reported that the Victoria fire originated from an authorized burn. He stated that so far, 62 people have been detained for various reasons and connections to wildfires.

"And one of them in the Victoria commune, around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, could preliminarily be established—based on field information—and a male individual was detained by the forest patrol in coordination with Conaf personnel because on Saturday, he allegedly conducted a burn that was not properly extinguished, and due to the prevailing winds in the area, it reignited," said the police authority.

Yesterday, responding to criticism for authorizing controlled burns, Abdala stated, "What falls to the authority is to make decisions, and we made this decision.

And the facts will show whether the decision was correct or not." "I just want to say that the decision was made with the director of Senapred sitting beside me, and with that, I consider it settled," he added. Recall that yesterday, the regional Senapred director resigned amid these criticisms.

Delegate and His Responsibility

Meanwhile, the regional presidential delegate of Araucanía, Eduardo Abdala, addressed the wildfires affecting the south-central zone of the country today, stating, "Our responsibility regarding the action expires at midnight on Saturday."

The controversy surrounding the emergency arose after agricultural burns were authorized in the region on Friday, March 21, and Saturday, March 22. The measure has been questioned due to the forecasted weather conditions for the area during that period, which may have contributed to the spread of the fires.

At a press briefing, the Executive's representative in the area stated, "Conaf (National Forestry Corporation) opens a space for farmers themselves to submit their requests, and in that context, these requests allow, according to established regulations, the burn process to proceed."

He emphasized that "the responsibility from the start of the fire until its complete extinguishment lies with those who requested this agricultural task." He added, "At the time this situation arose (referring to the current emergency), the region had no major wildfires," noting that "we knew there would be Puelche winds on Sunday."

"It is the responsibility of those who conducted the burns to fully extinguish these fires. Therefore, our responsibility regarding the action expires at midnight on Saturday, and by that time, the fires should have been completely put out," he declared.

In this regard, he further explained, "The authority is there to make decisions. We made this decision conscientiously and based on technical evidence, with the specific commitment of unions and farmers to proceed responsibly on this matter, according to the set conditions. In this context, we have made all the information we have available to the Public Ministry."

Source: Emol.com