SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, SPAIN (AP) – Canary Islands regional President Fernando Clavijo said on Sunday that police have confirmed that a wildfire raging on the Spanish tourist island of Tenerife was started deliberately.
Clavijo said police had opened three lines of investigation but did not say if there had been any arrests. Improved weather conditions helped firefighters make advances overnight in their battle to tame the blaze that has raged out of control for the past five days, authorities said on Sunday.
“The night was very difficult but thanks to the work of the firefighters, the results have been very positive,” Tenerife Governor Rosa Dávila said at a news conference. The Canary Islands have been in drought for most of the past few years, like most of mainland Spain. The islands have recorded below-average rainfall in recent years because of changing weather patterns impacted by climate change.