Authorities in Chile on Thursday arrested a suspect for setting the massive Biobio forest fire, which killed at least 21 people.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric declared a state of catastrophe in Biobio and neighboring Nuble this week and evacuated over 50,000 people as fires swept through some 21,000 acres of dry forests. The declaration of catastrophe enabled the Chilean armed forces to assist with evacuations and disaster relief.
Firefighters said on Monday they were battling 34 distinct blazes, with the most intense fires raging near the coastal city and regional capital of Concepcion. The fires pushed into residential areas and burned hundreds of homes to the ground. Almost 8,500 firefighters were deployed against the fast-moving fires.
High winds, uncommonly high temperatures, and a long-running drought were cited as reasons for the severity of the wildfires, and the effort was complicated by a shocking amount of human mischief.
Several attacks on firefighters were reported, one of them involving gunfire. Civilian drones buzzed around the blazes, interfering with fire control efforts as they recorded video footage of the calamity.
Most disturbingly, a number of arsonists joined the battle on the wrong side, setting even more fires. Boric and other officials threatened severe legal penalties against miscreants who were attacking firefighters, operating drones, and touching off more infernos.
As of Friday, Chilean officials said 110 people have been arrested for interfering with firefighting efforts, plus the arsonist who allegedly started the Biobio fires in the first place.
Prosecutors described the suspect as a 39-year-old male with “police records for serious injuries and violations of industrial property and intellectual laws.” He was taken into custody on Thursday night.
Prosecutors said the man started the massive blaze by “using a wood-burning stove in poor condition.” Sparks from the stove allegedly touched off multiple fires in the Biobio forest, which rapidly grew into the gigantic wildfires.
On Friday, prosecutors obtained a court order to extend the pretrial detention of the suspect until January 26. The full range of charges to be filed against him has not been made public, but will evidently include multiple counts of “arson resulting in death.”
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