Fire allegedly started by a man who set light to toilet paper has scorched 12,000 acres since it started last Wednesday

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A massive forest fire in the Canary Islands, allegedly started by a man who set light to his used toilet paper, has now ravaged almost 7% of the island of La Palma, according to local authorities.

The blaze, which began last Wednesday, has burned through nearly 12,000 acres (4,800 hectares) despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters backed by a dozen helicopters and seaplanes.



Nieves Lady Barreto, the islands’ minister for territorial policy, sustainability and safety, said that while the fire had been stabilised within its perimeter it was still not under control.

“We’ve taken an important step forward, but we need to keep up our reinforcement efforts to make sure the gains aren’t lost,” she said.

Barreto said the worst affected areas were the municipality of El Paso, where almost 5,900 acres of land have been burned, followed by Fuencaliente (4,000 acres), Mazo (2,000 acres) and Los Llanos de Aridane (70 acres).

The fire has forced the evacuation of 2,500 people and claimed the life of a forest ranger, Francisco José Santana.

Barreto said firefighters had put in more than 6,500 hours of service over the past six days, adding that more than 1,000 loads of water had been dropped over the flames.

She praised the “limitless dedication” of all those who have been involved in fighting the fire, saying they had gone above and beyond the call of duty to perform a task “that can only be described as heroic”.



On Saturday, a 27-year-old German man being investigated for causing the fire through gross negligence appeared in court and was remanded in custody.

The man, who is thought to have been living in a cave on the island, had told police that he had started the fire by accident after burning his used toilet paper in an area full of pine needles and other dry vegetation.



Portugal is also battling its annual wildfire season, with more than 4,400 firefighters tackling hundreds of blazes across the country.

The National Civil Protection Authority said that by Monday afternoon, almost 1,500 vehicles and 32 water-dumping aircraft had been deployed at 702 wildfires, some of which had been burning for days.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Fires burn through the night on La Palma island. Photograph: Miguel Calero/EPA

It classified eight wildfires in the north of the country as major blazes that were out of control.

The fires spread quickly through mostly pine and eucalyptus forests that are tinder-dry after weeks without significant rain. Daytime temperatures in recent days have passed 30C (86F) and in some northern cities exceeded 40C (104F) on Monday.

Despite the dramatic scenes no injuries were reported, though some families had to evacuate their homes and some farm buildings burned down.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Firefighters battle flames during a forest fire near Aveiro in Portugal. Photograph: Nuno Andre Ferreira/EPA

Forest fires commonly occur in Portugal, and elsewhere in southern Europe, in the summer. Portuguese firefighters blame poor forest management for the destruction of large areas of woodland each year.

Three wildfires blackened swaths of forest near Aveiro, 120 miles (200km) north of Lisbon, where one blaze was advancing along a three-mile front.

Further north in Porto, the country’s second-largest city, district authorities activated an emergency plan granting authorities special powers such as the requisitioning of privately owned heavy machinery. More than 100 soldiers were called out to help.