Man Remanded in Custody After Attempted Arson in Tenerife

A man in his 60s has been remanded in custody after being caught attempting to start a fire in El Tanque, Tenerife, on Tuesday, August 18. The Icod de los Vinos court ordered his imprisonment due to the high risk of him reoffending and the extreme vulnerability of the local forest, which is currently under a maximum fire alert due to high temperatures.

The arrest was made possible by local residents who spotted the man trying to ignite a blaze in the San José de los Llanos area. The witnesses confronted him and held him until the Civil Guard arrived. Thanks to their quick intervention, the fire was extinguished immediately, causing only minimal damage to the Tenerife Forest Crown. This incident comes as island authorities enforce a "zero tolerance" policy, increasing surveillance and military patrols to protect the Canary Islands' natural landscape from arsonists.

The suspect faces charges under Article 354 of the Penal Code, which carries prison sentences and fines for attempting to start forest fires, regardless of whether they spread. This case follows a 2024 conviction in which a man was sentenced to five years in prison for a fire started in Los Realejos in 2023. In that instance, witness testimony and evidence of accelerants found at the suspect's home were key to the conviction.

Preliminary investigations suggest the man arrested in El Tanque had been loitering in the area for days and had made previous failed attempts to start a fire. The swift judicial response and the vigilance of local residents remain the primary defenses against these threats, which continue to be a top public safety priority for Tenerife.