A Ukrainian tourist caught smoking inside Queulat National Park, in Chile's Aysén Region, must pay the equivalent of 400 euros to the fire brigade and may not enter any Chilean national park for one year. The Puerto Cisnes court of guarantees ruled on Wednesday, November 4, granting the prosecutor's request for a conditional suspension of proceedings over the offense of unlawful use of fire in a protected area, according to Radio 45 Sur.
It happened around 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3, on the La Morrena trail, the park's busiest, which leads to the Ventisquero Colgante (hanging glacier) viewpoint. Park rangers saw him with a lit cigarette and alerted the Carabineros police, who arrested him. The money will go to the fire company of Puyuhuapi, the nearest village, for wildfire equipment; BioBioChile put it at more than CLP 400,000.
What the court decided in the Queulat National Park case
| Condition | Detail |
|---|---|
| Payment | The peso equivalent of 400 euros, to the Puyuhuapi fire brigade |
| Deadline | Before leaving Chile and no later than January 10, 2027 |
| National parks | Banned from entering any national park in Chile for one year |
| Other | Register an address in his home country, provide a contact email and leave Chile as per his flight itinerary |
| Legal mechanism | Conditional suspension of proceedings: if he complies, the case closes without a conviction |
Source: Radio 45 Sur, November 4, 2026, with details from the hearing. Conditional suspension is a common outcome in these cases when the person has no record: the accused accepts conditions and, if they are met, the case ends. It is neither an acquittal nor a conviction.
Queulat National Park lies on the Carretera Austral, about 20 km south of Puyuhuapi. Its two main trails, La Morrena and Laguna Témpanos, reopened in January 2026 after an investment of more than CLP 1.9 billion. Our park guide is at Queulat National Park and the Ventisquero Colgante.
What Chilean law says about smoking and fire in a national park
In Chile, fire in parks and reserves is only allowed where park management permits it. Lighting a fire or any heat source elsewhere has been a crime since Law 20,653 of 2013, which toughened penalties for wildfires. The National Congress Library guide summarizes it as follows:
| Conduct | Penalty under the law |
|---|---|
| Lighting a fire or any heat source in unauthorized places within a protected wild area | Imprisonment of 61 days to 3 years and a fine of 11 to 50 UTM |
| Causing a fire that starts in or spreads to a protected wild area | Higher penalties, rising with the damage to flora and fauna |
| Fire in an authorized place (campground or designated fire pit) | Allowed, subject to each season's restrictions |
Source: National Congress Library, Ley Fácil guide to Law 20,653. The UTM is Chile's monthly tax unit, adjusted every month by the tax service. A cigarette counts as a heat source, which is why most Patagonian parks ban smoking outside marked spots. In Torres del Paine, for example, Conaf has designated smoking areas and camping stoves may only be used at authorized campsites.
Tourists expelled from national parks: recent cases
View the data as a table
| People expelled in 2025-2026 | 35 |
| People expelled since 2012 | 174 |
| Hectares burned in Torres del Paine in 2011 | 17,000 |
Queulat is not an isolated case. The 2025-2026 season had the most expulsions on record in Magallanes parks: between September 2025 and early February 2026 there were 14 incidents that ended with 35 people expelled, according to Conaf Magallanes data published by El Mostrador. Since 2012 there have been 52 expulsion orders involving 174 people.
- December 2011Torres del Paine: a tourist starts a fire of about 17,000 hectares
- January 2022Queulat: two Canadian tourists expelled for lighting a fire
- December 2024Torres del Paine: one-year park ban for using a camping stove
- January 2026Torres del Paine: 12 tourists expelled for smoking in a single day
- November 2026Queulat: 400 euros to the fire brigade and a one-year national park ban
| Date | Park | What happened | Sanction | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2011 | Torres del Paine | A tourist lit toilet paper and started a fire of about 17,000 hectares | The law on expulsions was changed | El Mostrador |
| January 2022 | Queulat | Two Canadian tourists entered a closed sector and lit a fire with branches | Expelled from the park | Chilevisión |
| December 2024 | Torres del Paine | A Dutch tourist lit a gas stove outside a campsite | One-year ban from the park | The Clinic |
| January 10, 2026 | Torres del Paine | Nine Israeli and three Dutch tourists, for smoking in a prohibited place | Expelled from the park | El Mostrador |
| January 15, 2026 | Torres del Paine | A tourist arrested for smoking in the middle of a trail | CLP 2,000,000 to firefighters and a 3-year ban from Chile | El Mostrador |
| November 3, 2026 | Queulat | A Ukrainian tourist, for smoking on the La Morrena trail | 400 euros to firefighters and a one-year national park ban | Radio 45 Sur |
The sanction depends on the court and each case: it ranges from expulsion from the park by Conaf to large donations to the fire brigade and bans on entering Chile. In the January 15, 2026 case, the court imposed an absolute three-year ban on entering the country.
How to visit Queulat and other parks without risking a sanction
- Don't smoke on trails or at viewpoints. Ask at the entrance whether the park has a designated spot; if not, no smoking inside.
- Camping stoves only at authorized campsites and never on dry grass. On alert days, Conaf may ban them.
- Don't light campfires outside authorized fire pits, even if you see remains of others.
- Check the season's alerts. Chile has a preventive heat alert until March 2027; see what tourists should know and the wildfire season.
- Tell a park ranger if you see smoke or someone with fire. Conaf's wildfire emergency number is 130.
The rule applies to every park in the country, from Torres del Paine to those in the north. More practical advice in safety for tourists in Chile.
Frequently asked questions
Can you smoke in Chile's national parks?
Only in places designated by park management. Lighting a fire or any heat source elsewhere in a protected area is a crime, punishable by 61 days to 3 years in prison and fines of 11 to 50 UTM.
What happened to the tourist in Queulat National Park?
He was arrested on November 3, 2026 for smoking on the La Morrena trail. On November 4 the Puerto Cisnes court ordered him to pay the equivalent of 400 euros to the Puyuhuapi fire brigade and banned him from national parks for one year.
Can a tourist be expelled from Chile for lighting a fire in a park?
Yes. Besides expulsion from the park, courts have imposed bans on entering Chile of one, three and even five years in recent cases in Patagonia.
Is Queulat National Park open?
Yes. The Ventisquero Colgante sector is operating for the 2026-2027 season with its La Morrena and Laguna Témpanos trails. Check opening hours with Conaf Aysén before you go.
