Chile arrests firefighter for allegedly starting deadly blaze in February
Al Jazeera
A firefighter and a forestry official have been arrested on suspicion of starting a fire that killed 137 people in Vina del Mar city.
Authorities in Chile have arrested a firefighter and a forestry official on suspicion of starting a blaze that killed 137 people in the resort city of Vina del Mar in February.
“An arrest warrant was issued today against the person who started the fires in February in the Valparaiso region,” where Vina del Mar is located, police director Eduardo Cerna told a news conference.
A little later, the Valparaiso regional prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrest of a second suspect, an official of the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf), the body responsible for fighting forest fires and managing national parks.
Both men will be remanded in custody on Saturday on charges of arson resulting in deaths.
Several fires broke out simultaneously on February 2 around the coastal city of Vina del Mar, 70 miles (110km) northwest of Chile’s capital Santiago.
