The two alleged perpetrators of the megafire that affected the Valparaíso Region last February, who correspond to a Firefighter volunteer and an official from the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf).
During this Friday the firefighter was arrested Francisco Mondaca Mella –22 years old- and Franco Pino was later arrested, Conaf official, who were accused of material author and intellectual author – respectively –, of the megafire that started in Fundo Las Tablas on February 2 and expanded to the communes of Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Quilpué and Villa Alemana.
Personnel from the Environmental Brigade (Bidema) of the Investigative Police managed to collect audiovisual images and telephone interception that reconstructed the route of the person who started the fire and the firefighter was identified as the author, who traveled several kilometers and threw four outbreaks, of which: two were controlled and the others spread.
The hearing was held in Guarantee Court of Valparaísoto which security measures have been reinforced, especially at the front of the court.
He Public Ministry requests preventive detention for the two arrested.
The plaintiff attorney, Felipe Oleatold Cooperativa that “we believe that indeed There is sufficient background to trust that a precautionary measure of this nature will be granted to both defendants.. Since the forcefulness of the evidence that Bidema has shown is of such magnitude that the Public Ministry has been able to sufficiently support the facts for which they are held responsible as the perpetrator under the consummated crime of arson, which has a fairly high penalty. and could lead to life imprisonment.
Given the situation, the Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzueladescribed the event as “outrageous” and added that “in its seriousness, it confirms what was always said that there was intentionality here and people colluding to do it.”
“We have to wait for the investigation to progress. If there are people from institutions involved, all protocols must be strengthened so that this does not happen again.. “Let justice be done to the victims, the relatives of the people who died in this fire,” he concluded.
DEFENDANT HAD FLARES AND FIREWORKS
During the hearing, the regional prosecutor, Claudia Perivancich, reported that it was identified that in one of the sources of this incident, “a handmade device was installed, which consists of using a cigarette, surround it with ten matches and join them with a thread or straw“.
Likewise, the pursuer revealed that in the arrest of the Firefighter volunteer, He found 14 handmade sparklers and 10 fireworks in his locker without authorization.
