( CNN ) -- The man Chilean authorities accuse of sparking a wildfire that has consumed more than 31,000 acres of a national park said Sunday that he is innocent . `` It is very important to me to say that this was n't me ( who started the fire ) . They dropped the case on me , '' Rotem Zinger told Israeli army radio . The 23-year-old Israeli national said he was surprised by the way the case against him has unfolded . `` I was not explained what I was accused of . I did not give a testimony . I did not confess . Things rolled out the wrong way through mistranslation . I never intended to admit the blame , '' he said . Zinger is accused of lighting a fire in a prohibited area of the protected Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chile , regional prosecutor Juan Agustin Melendez said . Prosecutors also accuse him of making the situation worse by not reporting to authorities that the fire got out of his control . If convicted , Zinger could face a fine and 41 to 60 days in prison , Melendez told CNN Chile . Zinger will be required to stay in the region during an investigation , the prosecutor said . Authorities will be looking into what caused the wildfire for months , Melendez said . Fierce flames have kept investigators from reaching the location where the fire started , he added . The wildfire has been burning since Tuesday . Hundreds of firefighters are battling the blaze , but authorities have said they do n't know when the fire will be under control . High winds stoke the flames for most of the week , though rains in the area Saturday gave firefighters some help . `` We could be talking about a week . We could be talking about a month or more , '' said Hugo Knockaert , chief of fire management for Chile 's National Forest Corporation . CNN 's Guy Azriel , Claudia Dominguez and CNN Chile contributed to this report .
` ` Things rolled out the wrong way through Israel , '' Rotem Zinger tells Israeli media . The year - old is accused of sparking a 31,000-acre wildfire in a Chilean national park . A prosecutor says the suspect could face a fine and jail time . Authorities have said they do n't know when the fire will be under control .