Chillán's Guarantee Court rejected the prosecutor's request for preventive detention of three workers charged in the Chillán Viejo forest fire, imposing instead a ban on leaving the country. The blaze, sparked by electric tools in a mechanic shop, has burned about 100 to 150 hectares and keeps the commune under red alert.
Prosecutor (s) Richard Urra formalized the investigation for the forest fire offense under the Forestry Law against Guillermo Castro Hernández, José Cuervo Fuentes, and José Arellano Bustos, arrested for the blaze that started Wednesday afternoon in the El Quillay sector of Chillán Viejo, Ñuble region.
According to the Public Ministry, the emergency began in a mechanic shop where the defendants used electric tools on metal, producing sparks that reached nearby grasslands and ignited the fire. Urra cited negligence for working on a combustible surface and ignoring strong winds in the area.
The prosecution requested preventive detention for the three, but the Chillán Guarantee Court judge rejected it, instead imposing national arraigo—a ban on leaving the country without permission. Four months were set for the investigation, involving the Carabineros Criminalistics Laboratory (Labocar).
The fire, which mobilized Firefighters and Conaf, approaches populated areas and has burned around 100 hectares per initial reports, though a Conaf update states 150 hectares affected. The commune remains under red alert declared by Senapred, with Route 5 Sur closed at the Nebuco bridge section.
Conaf deployed four technicians, three brigades, two tanker trucks, and one heavy machinery unit, supported by volunteer firefighters, to battle the flames.
