Chile police arrest suspect over deadly wildfires

LIRQUEN, Chile: Police in south-central Chile have arrested a man on suspicion of starting one of the recent wildfires that killed 21 people and razed entire neighborhoods, the government said Wednesday.

Security Minister Luis Cordero said the suspect used a liquid accelerant to start fires in a wheat field, with authorities seizing five liters (more than a gallon) of fuel from him.

He was arrested at dawn in the town of Perquenco in Araucania region, south of Biobio.

The fires began simultaneously on Saturday in various parts of Biobio and Nuble regions, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the capital Santiago.

Fanned by strong winds and high temperatures, the flames quickly ripped through the coastal towns of Penco, Lirquen and Punta de Parra, leaving a blackened landscape of smoldering ruins.

Interior Minister Alvaro Elizalde told a press conference on Wednesday that an estimated 20,000 people suffered property damage from the fires, including some 800 homes that were destroyed.

President Gabriel Boric visited Biobio on Wednesday, where he said: “We’re working with heavy machinery to clear streets andremove debric, and we continue fighting the fire.

“We’re still in a state of emergency,” he added.

Other fires were later reported further inland, in the Biobio town of Florida, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the city of Concepcion and in Araucania.

Cordero said substances used to start fires, including plastic containers containing accelerant, were found in Concepcion.

Firefighters were still battling 35 blazes Wednesday — 22 in Biobio, five in Nuble and eight in Araucania, according to national forestry officials.

A drop in temperature in recent days has helped ease the situation.

In February 2024, wildfires broke out around the coastal resort of Vina del Mar, 110 kilometers from Santiago, leaving 138 dead.