Bio

Public records and news reports contain very little about Elías Salazar Inostroza’s childhood, family, or schooling. I did not find reliable public information about where he was born or raised. There are no detailed biographical records available in the sources provided.

What is documented is his work as a firefighter in Valparaíso. He belonged to the 13th Fire Company of Valparaíso and was also associated with the National Service for Disaster Prevention and Response (SENAPRED). He was identified in media reports as being 39 years old in 2024.

In February 2024, large wildfires affected several regions of Chile, including the Valparaíso Region. Those events were widely reported and led to national responses from authorities. At that time, public sources note that Salazar was a firefighter working in the Valparaíso area.

Later public records show that on 9 September 2024 he was detained and held in preventive detention until a trial date set for 30 October.

Murder Story

In February 2024, a series of wildfires broke out in Chile. The fires affected regions including Valparaíso, O'Higgins, Maule, Biobío, and Los Lagos. The government called the event the country's worst disaster since the 2010 earthquake and declared two days of national mourning.

Authorities reported 162 forest fires across central and southern Chile. Unusually high temperatures, the El Niño phenomenon, and a long drought were cited as factors. More than 43,000 hectares of land were affected. At least 131 people died, and many buildings and homes were damaged or destroyed. The state of emergency led to the deployment of firefighting aircraft, firefighters, and military personnel, and curfews were imposed in some cities.

On 24 May 2024, following an investigation by the Investigative Police, Francisco Mondaca Mella and Franco Pinto Orellana were arrested. On 9 September 2024, Elías Salazar Inostroza, a firefighter from the same company as Mondaca and a worker at SENAPRED, was also arrested. Investigators said they found evidence on phones that linked the arrested people to locations where the fires occurred, including private text messages and GPS data.

All three were placed in preventive detention. In July 2025 the Valparaíso Guarantee Court presented accusations against nine people, including Mondaca, Pinto, and Salazar. The charges included forest fires resulting in death, conspiracy, and environmental damage. Prosecutors sought qualified life imprisonment for the suspects. The trial was set to begin on 9 March 2026.

Other people named in the court accusation included firefighters Maximiliano Veliz Caballería, Claudio Gamboa Ortiz, and Matías Cordero de la Fuente, CONAF workers José Jerez Camus and Ángel Barahona Troncoso, and SENAPRED worker José Atenas Gaete. The case proceeded through the courts under those formal charges and scheduled dates.