Ranchers on trial for starting forest fire

The Prosecutor’s Office of the Principality of Asturias, in a trial held in Oviedo from today, requests the conviction of two ranchers accused of causing a forest fire in Somiedo after starting a fire intentionally in order to regenerate land for pasture.

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The Prosecutor’s Office maintains that the accused, around 4:00 p.m. on December 19, 2021, in the area known as ‘Cuetu Rubio’, near the town of Villamor, Somiedo, “guided by the sole purpose of eliminating invasive vegetation from the farms exploited as pasture for the livestock of their respective properties, burned flora without adopting the most basic precautions, ignoring the fire, which is why it spread through the mountains and nearby plots”, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.

The fire was extinguished at 10:11 p.m. the same day. The total area affected by the fire was 3.97 hectares, with predominant species of gorse, oak, hazel, hawthorn, heather, blight, brambles, ferns, and herbaceous plants.

The environmental damage caused to the area as a result of these events was valued at 1,038.14 euro. The costs of extinguishing the fire amounted to 2,882.76 euro. The Prosecutor’s Office considers that the events reported constitute a crime of forest fire committed due to serious recklessness of article 358, in relation to 352 of the Penal Code, and article 5 of Law 3/2004, of November 23, on forests and forest management of the Principality of Asturias.

The Prosecutor therefore requests that each of the accused be sentenced to 11 months in prison, special disqualification for the right to passive suffrage during the time of the sentence and 11 months of fine at a rate of 18 euro per day, with the subsidiary personal liability of a day of deprivation of liberty for every two daily quotas not met, plus Court costs.

As civil liability, the accused must face the following compensation: to the Principality of Asturias, 1,038.14 euro for the environmental damage caused; to the Asturias Fire Department, 2,882.76 euro; and to the owners of the affected plots who have not waived compensation, the amount determined in execution of the judgment for the damages caused.

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