(CNN Spanish) –– The National Police of Ecuador arrested this Thursday a second man allegedly involved in the fires that affected Quito this week and caused the Mayor’s Office to declare an emergency in the capital, according to a statement.
According to the authorities, this is a person of Colombian nationality suspected of having caused a forest fire in the area of a bridge.
CNN contacted the Colombian embassy in Ecuador to request information about this case and is awaiting a response.
The Police reported on Wednesday that they arrested a first suspect, a 19-year-old man identified as allegedly responsible for starting a fire in Guápulo, in the north of Quito.
The Ecuadorian Prosecutor’s Office said this Thursday in your X account that a judge imposed preventive detention on this detainee as a precautionary measure. He will be prosecuted for the crime of forest and vegetation fires and will have his trial hearing on October 17.
On Tuesday night, the Prosecutor’s Office reported that it opened an investigation into the fires that that day intensified in various parts of the Ecuadorian capital, generated clouds of smoke visible throughout the city and mobilized the security and civil protection forces.
Throughout this Thursday, Quito authorities have reported progress in containing the fire. Firefighters said that the fire on Auqui Hill, one of the main sources, is currently under control.
