Firefighter 'who wanted to be hero' held over deadly Chile blaze

The fire was Chile's deadliest, killing a total of 137 people and leaving many more homeless.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS ElectionUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersFirefighter 'who wanted to be hero' arrested over deadly Chile blazeGetty ImagesThousands of homes were destroyed in Chile's deadliest firePolice in Chile have arrested a former firefighter on suspicion of contributing to a deadly forest fire which killed 137 people in February.

The suspect worked for Chile's National Service for Disaster Prevention and served as a volunteer firefighter at the time that several fires spread through the Valparaíso region.

Officials have accused the 39-year-old man of being responsible for at least one of the four blazes which broke out almost simultaneously around the city of Viña del Mar on 2 February.

Police said the suspect had set the blaze because "he likes to be a hero, participating and helping in emergencies".

Local media reported that the man had been hailed as a "hero" after he had successfully contained a previous blaze in his local area.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crmwg28k9vwo

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