The Canary Islands have not been immune to the phenomenon of the so-called new forest fires. These are claims that exceed the usual fires in extent and virulence due, among other factors, to climate change. The last years extinguishing experts have had to be thoroughly employed in many fires that they have left thousands of hectares razed it is included deathly victims. But what causes these fires? According to him World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) the 96 percent of the fires is caused by man. A 55 percent from intentional way and 23 percent for accidents or negligent behaviors.
In the case of Canary Islands, negligence is hidden in a large part of the fires that have occurred in recent years, although there are exceptions. According to the report of the Civio Canarias Foundation are the second community in criminal proceedingss. Between 2001 and 2012 the courts they convicted six people that caused 17 forest fires. The difficulty in bringing the arsonists to justice is that they must be arrested in the middle of the crime, that is, by setting fire to the mountain. This circumstance is very clear to the criminals, which is why they usually use delayed devices to be able to flee the place before the flames start and also to be able to establish several fronts.
Among the fires set deliberately, those of Tenerife and Gran canaria on 2007. Both were provoked in Santiago del Teide and Tejeda, respectively. The flames devastated more than 34,000 hectares. In the case of Tenerife, the perpetrator was never found, while in Gran Canaria a Gesplan employee was arrested as the alleged perpetrator. More of 6,000 people they had to be evicted on the two islands.
In the case of fire on the island of La Gomera in 2012 burned the nine percent of the territory and everything points to the fact that it was the product of several attempts caused by an arsonist who could never be stopped. A tragic case It was the fire of La Palma in 2016. The fire devastated 5,000 hectares and forest agent passed away Francisco José Santana Álvarez. The investigation determined that the fire was arson and a 27-year-old German citizen was arrested who confessed that he started the fire unintentionally by burning the toilet paper he had used to relieve himself.
The author was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for a crime of forest fire resulting in death. Similarly, the Seprona proceeded to investigate a child under 16 considering him as the author of the burning of a prickly pear tree that caused the Garafía fire in 2020. Regarding one of the largest forest accidents in the Canary Islands, which occurred in Gran Canaria in 2018, the investigations determined that some high tension cables they were responsible for starting the fire.
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