In a shocking turn of events, a volunteer firefighter and a Chilean forestry official have been formally accused of orchestrating the devastating wildfires that swept through central Chile this past February, resulting in the tragic loss of over 130 lives.
The accused individuals are Francisco Ignacio Mondaca, a volunteer firefighter, and Francisco Pinto, an official from Chile's National Forestry Corporation (CONAF), which operates under the Ministry of Agriculture and is tasked with forest fire prevention.
Both suspects are currently in pre-trial detention, as announced by the prosecutor's office in Valparaiso, a coastal city adjacent to the areas most affected by the fires. The offices of the two men were unreachable for comment at the time of reporting.
Authorities allege that Mondaca executed the plan to ignite the fires, with Pinto identified as the mastermind behind the operation. Prosecutors claim they possess substantial evidence indicating that both individuals acted with premeditation, utilizing their knowledge of optimal weather conditions to maximize the spread of the fires.
Claudia Perivancich, the regional prosecutor of Valparaiso, stated, \"We have material that shows that they agreed to act jointly when the appropriate meteorological conditions arose to ensure that the fires occurred.\" Investigations revealed that in each of the four initial fire outbreak locations on February 2, devices made from cigarettes and matches were discovered, confirming the deliberate nature of the arson.
The judicial system has been given six months to complete the investigation, with additional efforts focused on locating missing victims and analyzing the suspects' cell phone data, as per a recent update from Valparaiso's prosecutor office.
Further linking Mondaca to the tragedy, Prosecutor Osvaldo Ossandon disclosed that evidence connects him to six previous fires in the region.
This catastrophe marks the worst natural disaster in Chile since the 2010 earthquake and tsunami, which claimed over 500 lives. The southern cone of South America, including Chile and Argentina, has been grappling with an intense heatwave exacerbated by climate change. Experts warn that such extreme weather events are expected to become more frequent during the southern summer months, a situation further intensified by the El Niño climate phenomenon, which warms the Pacific Ocean.
The deadly fires have not only caused immense loss of life but also highlighted the growing challenges posed by climate change and extreme weather conditions, underscoring the urgent need for robust preventive measures and accountability.
Reference(s):
Chile firefighter, forest official linked to wildfires that killed 130
cgtn.com
