Huelva worker sentenced to prison for negligent forest fire

The Provincial Court of Huelva has upheld a sentence of seven months in prison for a farm worker convicted of causing a forest fire through gross negligence. The incident occurred on November 18, 2021, in the Triguerosal area.

According to judicial records, the worker attempted to burn agricultural labels inside a cardboard box without authorization and failed to follow basic safety protocols during a period of medium fire risk. Despite windy conditions, the worker left the site, causing the burning box to overturn and spread flames to a neighboring property. The fire destroyed four hectares of agricultural land and two hectares of forest, including scrubland and eucalyptus.

In addition to the prison sentence, which is suspended on the condition that the individual does not reoffend, the worker was ordered to pay a seven-month fine and an indemnity of 18,249 euros to the Junta de Andalucía to cover firefighting costs. The farm owner will be held subsidiarily liable for the compensation.