The brigadier of the National Forestry Corporation (Conaf) Franco Pintoaccused as the alleged mastermind of the Viña del Mar and Quilpué megafire, received 420 thousand pesos in overtime corresponding to the month in which it occurred.
For this fire season, Pinto was hired as of October 10, 2023 with a gross monthly salary of 753,384 pesos. Then, starting in January 2024, his remuneration increased to a monthly total of 785,779 pesos, according to what he announced. Third.
Likewise, the number of overtime hours that the brigade member worked was revealed: in October 2023, Pinto worked only four hours of overtime, so he had an additional income of 28,126 pesos; In November 2023, he generated 42 overtime hours, adding 295,327 pesos; In December 2023, the brigade member did 50 hours of extra work, totaling 351,580 pesos.
By 2024, In January he worked 63.33 overtime hours, equivalent to 456,497 pesos; and in Februarywhen the fires of Viña del Mar and Quilpué occurred, Pinto totaled 57.33 overtime hours, which meant 420,479 pesos.
Finally, in March, his additional time accumulated 38.5 hours, for 282,357 pesos, and in Last April, the peak of overtime was recorded, with 64.5 hours, equivalent to 473,039 pesos.
The director of Conaf, Christian Littlesaid that it was a temporary official who In the last 10 years he has participated as a chainsaw operator and vehicle driver emergency for fire control, and added that for this season, his employment relationship with Conaf ended on Tuesday, April 30.
Regarding overtime, Little assured that, «As in every institution», these hours are paid when officials work beyond eight hours or if they work shifts at night, although he stated that «paying overtime does not mean that one is going to cause more fires, like what has happened in order to be able to charge more.»
FIREFIGHTER’S STORY
The Firefighter Volunteer Francisco Mondacaaccused of being the perpetrator of the fires, revealed to the Prosecutor’s Office the conversation he had with the Conaf brigade member prior to the accidents.
Mondaca stated that «I remember that in a fire meeting that I held, we agreed (…), talking about various topics, among which he told me that It is economically advantageous for them as officials to work overtime regarding firefighting.«.
Then, he related that «about two or three days before February 2 of this year, I met Franco Pinto on the public road, in the town of Placilla, where He told me that February 2 was ‘good’, due to weather conditions that would exist that day, such as heat and wind, in addition, he told me that It would be ‘good’ in the Lago Peñuelas Forest Reserve sector and along the route known as Camino Viejo to Santiago, since there was abundant dry grass in that place.
«For the above, We agreed that I would go in the morning hours of that day to the Las Tablas sector and Camino Viejo to Santiago to start fires, by launching incendiary devices that he himself had taught me to make verbally previously in another fire, where Franco told me that I should roll matches around a cigarette and tie it with a thread,» he added.
Later, Mondaca confessed that he «sucked the cigarettes once to light them and threw them through the passenger window.»
«I remember perfectly that shortly after having thrown the first incendiary devices on Route 68 and Camino Antiguo to Santiago, I made a phone call from my device to Franco Pinto (…) to let him know and tell him that ‘it was ready’alluding to the launching of incendiary devices, remembering that Franco told me that he was at the base and that they would surely send him to the place as soon as possible,» he concluded.
Both were formalized for the crime of arson resulting in death this Saturday and were remanded in preventive detention in Santiago Uno prison.