Since December of last year, through the Fire Analysis and Prediction Section of Conaf in conjunction with the Meteorological Directorate of Chile, all types of agricultural and forest burning were prohibited, due to favorable conditions for the generation and spread of fires, both in the Ñuble region and nationally.
Although burning is a common practice in forestry and agricultural tasks, which are regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture, there is a calendar that is enabled according to the climatic conditions of the region. Through Supreme Decree 276/1980 of Minagri, measures for the safe use of fire and as controlled burning are established.
“Our Analysis and Diagnosis Section issues a report with the causes of origin of the fire, which serves as input for the Public Ministry, PDI and Carabineros, so that they can carry out the investigations corresponding to their powers. Furthermore, we have trained the same institutions just mentioned so that they can effectively carry out their work,” said the Regional Director of Conaf Ñuble, Juan Salvador Ramírez.
During this season, according to information from Conaf, 200 forest fires are recorded nationwide during this season, of which 140 have been investigated, with 70% caused by some type of negligence.
The Government Seremi, Valentina Pradenas, expressed that “as a Government we have been on the ground with the neighbors carrying out a prevention campaign against these types of accidents. In addition, in the event of any emergency that occurs, communal Cogrids have been carried out, with the objective that the work between all the institutions involved is coordinated, efficient and together. During the 2023/2024 season, the budget for Fire prevention, mitigation and control was increased by 97% compared to 2022/2023, delivering the message of concern and resources allocated for this type of situations.”
It should be noted that those who cause a forest fire face major prison sentences in their different degrees, which can translate into sentences of between 5 years and one day to 20 years in prison, in accordance with Law No. 20,283 on forest recovery. native, in addition to fines of between 50 to 150 monthly tax units.
If there is suspicion or evidence of someone causing a fire, a call is made to immediately report it to the corresponding authorities. This can be done by calling the following numbers: Conaf at 130, Firefighters at 132, Carabineros at 133 and PDI at 134.
