First week of the year leaves four detained for wildfires in the province

Operations were concentrated in rural and peri-urban sectors of San Rosendo, Mulchén, and Los Ángeles, where the improper handling of heat sources endangered the community with fires that affected up to 50 square meters of grasslands and woodlands.

Since January 2nd, at least four people have been detained for crimes of arson and misuse of fire in the Biobío province, incidents that have triggered police, emergency, and judicial procedures amid the season of highest risk for forest fires.

One of the first cases was recorded in the commune of San Rosendo, where a man was detained for his alleged responsibility in a fire registered on the road leading to the La Antena sector.

The emergency was detected in a timely manner by Carabineros personnel while conducting preventive patrols. It was in this context that officials from the San Rosendo Police Station noticed a column of smoke, which prompted a rapid deployment to the location.

Upon arrival, the police officers found a person attempting to control the fire spreading through grasslands, using a hose.

Given the situation, Firefighters were immediately notified, who arrived within minutes and managed to control the fire, preventing further spread due to wind conditions, which favored the rapid expansion of the flames.

Due to the flagrancy of the act, Carabineros detained the man for the crime of arson, which allegedly originated while the accused was performing welding work, whose sparks reportedly reached the dry grassland of the area.

Fortunately, the emergency left no injured persons nor damage to structures, although it did generate risk due to the speed at which the fire advanced.

The accused was made available to the Laja Guarantee Court for the crime of arson and was released pending the corresponding summons by the court.

FIRE IN MULCHÉN

In the commune of Mulchén, meanwhile, a man was detained after causing a fire in grasslands and woodlands located in the Parque Bureo avenue sector, at the intersection with Arriagada Street. The fire ended up affecting an approximate area of 50 square meters.

After being detained, the accused was made available to the Public Prosecutor's Office, which ordered him to be placed under detention control at the Mulchén Guarantee Court.

For the Prosecutor's Office, the facts constitute the crime of arson, as he is attributed participation as the perpetrator and the offense is considered fully consummated.

After the hearing, the court decreed the precautionary measures of nighttime house arrest and a prohibition on leaving the country. Furthermore, it set a three-month period for the investigation.

NEGLIGENT USE IN LOS ÁNGELES

In the provincial capital, a man was detained for negligently using a heat source that caused a fire.

The incident occurred inside a smallholding located on the road to Paraguaya, at the height of the La Piña sector, and generated a fire in grasslands and trees affecting an area of 25 square meters.

After being detained, the accused was made available to the Public Prosecutor's Office, from where it was ordered that he be placed under detention control at the Los Ángeles Guarantee Court.

For the Prosecutor's Office, the facts constitute the crime of arson, with the participation of the accused as the perpetrator, in a fully consummated stage of development.

After the hearing, the man was released and the court set the precautionary measure of national confinement and decreed a three-month period for the investigation.

MISUSE OF FIRE

Another man was detained for the crime of illicit use of fire in the city of Los Ángeles. This, after he burned trash and wood at a residence located on Villa Captren Street, despite the express prohibition of fire use on rural properties.

After being detained, the man was made available to the Public Prosecutor's Office, from where it was ordered that he be placed under detention control at the Los Ángeles Guarantee Court.

For the Prosecutor's Office, the facts constituted the crime of misuse of fire, penalized under the Forest Law, for which he is attributed participation as the perpetrator and the offense is considered consummated.

After the detention control hearing, the court decreed for the man the precautionary measures of monthly signature and prohibition on leaving the country. A three-month period for the investigation was also set.

Source:La Tribuna