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Calls for "Timely" Investigation into Intentional Fires

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Amid applause and shouts of emotion, the funeral procession of Gabriel Toro Millacheo entered the town of Pidima around midday yesterday. The 31-year-old became the fourth firefighter to die battling wildfires during the 2024-2025 season.

On Thursday evening, Toro Millacheo was working to extinguish a fire on a property called Huequén-Cambium in the commune of Ercilla when a tree fell on him, causing severe injuries and traumatic cardiopulmonary arrest. He could not recover and passed away after being taken to Victoria Hospital.

Gabriel was the father of a young daughter and was originally from the Juan Antinao community, located within Pidima in Ercilla. He had eleven years of experience fighting forest fires. This season, he was employed by the company Servicios Forestales Nacimiento (Serfonac), a contractor for CMPC.

According to CMPC sources who spoke to El Austral, the fire in which Toro Millacheo died was the 18th wildfire in the same area of pine and eucalyptus plantations this summer. This has strengthened suspicions that the fire was intentionally set.

"Everything points to these fires being intentionally caused in that area," said Ignacio Lira, Corporate Affairs Manager at CMPC, after arriving at Victoria Hospital on Thursday night.

CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION

On the same issue, forestry associations have raised their voices to express concern over the generation of intentional fires, mainly due to the severe consequences of these incidents.

Similarly, industry groups have called on authorities to carry out "timely" investigative procedures to identify, locate, and detain those who intentionally start fires.

"The large number of fires and multi-source incidents show that intentionality predominates this season. CONAF statistics indicate 50% to 60% intentionality in the Southern Macrozone. We believe what’s needed is to allocate resources to the Prosecutor's Office and police to specialize investigative teams so they can find those responsible in a timely manner. To improve their work, we could look at experiences from other countries where results are better," stated René Muñoz, Manager of the Association of Forestry Contractors (Acoforag).

"In February, we had two weeks with numerous multi-source fires. Although recurrence has decreased, overall numbers show that 26% of fires this season have been confirmed as intentional. The problem is that 52% remain with undetermined causes, and their origin is unknown. Our call is for relevant investigations to be conducted—but promptly—because evidence fades over time, making it harder to achieve results," said Antonio Soto, President of Corma Araucanía.

Source:Austral de Temuco