Chile Arrests Suspects Accused of Starting Deadly Fire

  • A firefighter and a former Conaf worker are the detainees
  • Deadly fire killed more than 100 persons in February

Destroyed homes following wildfires in Vina del Mar, Valparaiso region, Chile, on Feb. 4.

Photographer: Raul Goycoolea/Bloomberg
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A Chilean court ordered preventive detention for two men accused of starting a forest fire that killed more than 100 people, the country’s deadliest disaster since an earthquake in 2010.

The men were arrested on Friday. One is a former worker at the Chilean office in charge of policies for forests, the national forestry agency known as Conaf said in a statement. The other is a firefighter, according to local media outlets.