Fire Department Employee Detained for Intentional Burning
After the devastating wildfires in Chile, a firefighter has been nabbed on allegations of arson. He's suspected of having ignited some of the blazes that claimed 137 lives around Valparaiso, a city on the Pacific coast, as per Chile's public prosecutor's office. The reasons behind his actions remain obscure.
As per local radio station Cooperativa, the accused firefighter claimed he wished to contribute to the rescue operations.
Two other individuals are currently in custody as well. One is another firefighter and the other is an employee of the forestry service, both on charges of arson. The ferocious fires in Viña del Mar, Valparaiso, Quilpué, and Villa Alemana left over 4,500 houses in ruins and damaged numerous others back in February.
The firefighter under investigation is alleged to have used a technique known as 'high-fire' ignition to start some of the blazes.Despite the accusations, some believe that the high-fire method could have been used intentionally or unintentionally to create controlled burns for rescue operations, given its potential to clear paths through the forest.
