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Evidence Would Confirm Intentionality of Forest Fires in Chonchi

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Investigative Police (PDI) personnel from Castro collected probative evidence in recent hours confirming third-party involvement, as part of an inquiry into two forest fires recorded in the Dicham sector and surrounding areas in the commune of Chonchi. Additionally, another fire occurred on Tuesday night, which is also believed to have been intentional.

The first incident was named "San Francisco" by the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf). It was recorded on the institution's incident reporting portal, with the initial date listed as the early hours of March 14. The fire destroyed 0.94 hectares, primarily scrubland.

The second emergency began at 11:19 p.m. last Sunday. It was named "La Muralla" and affected 100 square meters of vegetation.

Chonchi Firefighters were the first responders to this alert. Units from three local companies were deployed to extinguish the flames, a task that lasted over an hour.

Commander Rubén Vera confirmed this, detailing that after witnesses reported the incident, "the alarm center notified us about a medium-sized grassland fire. Initially, the Third Company responded. Due to the rapid spread of the fire and its proximity to power lines and forested areas, two additional units were requested."

Alongside the firefighting efforts, which continued until early Monday morning, a Conaf technician and brigade were deployed, as well as local Carabineros, who handled the formal procedures.

Indeed, initial investigative procedures suggested the deliberate actions of unknown individuals in starting the fire. This information was forwarded to the Castro Prosecutor's Office, which requested specialized procedures to clarify the dynamics of this case, as well as the previous one.

According to the head of the Castro Criminal Investigation Brigade (Bicrim), Subprefect Carol Sánchez, a team was assembled on Tuesday to work on these incident sites.

"We received an order to investigate the fires in Chonchi, in the La Muralla and San Francisco sectors. Detectives went to the scene along with Conaf personnel to gather criminologically relevant information," the officer explained.

The source added that thanks to these inquiries, "it was observed that there is evidence that may have been used to start these fires. This evidence was collected to be analyzed by the Criminology Laboratory (Lacrim) in Puerto Montt and reported to the Public Prosecutor's Office."

Similarly, the investigation will be deepened by the Environmental and Cultural Heritage Crime Investigation Brigade (Bidema) of Valdivia, Los Ríos Region. Their experts will soon arrive in Chonchi to examine the collected evidence and complement the preliminary investigative work.

Meanwhile, another alert was triggered in Chonchi due to another emergency believed to have originated from third-party actions. This involved a fire in the Huicha sector. As Commander Rubén Vera described, the alarm was activated "around 11:10 p.m. (on Tuesday) in an area near the Toralla company, at the entrance to the Pindaco road. There was a risk to housing, and four units worked to control the fire's spread."

The officer noted that it is a low-traffic area and that the leading hypothesis regarding its origin is intentionality.

Source:Soychile