A German resident was arrested in the Canary Islands, suspected of having caused a wildland fire, which broke out in the evening of Wednesday the 3rd.

The 27-year-old man lives very near to where the fire began in the municipality of El Paso (near La Palma) and is thought to have been caused by the negligent burning of organic waste.

At the moment, five aircraft are tackling the blaze and 67 members of the specialized military unit, UME, fought the fire throughout last night until daylight brought in aerial back up.

11.52h update: The life of a 54-year-old forest ranger has been claimed by the La Palma fire as he helped the embattled fire-fighting units tackle the blaze.

The fire on the Montaña de Jeday has not affected built up areas, nevertheless, some 700 people have been evacuated from the Tacande, San Nicolás and Jedey barrios as a preventative measure.

(News: La Palma, Canary Islands)