During the Tenerife wildfire response, authorities report that a man allegedly threw a stone at a helicopter involved in the fire suppression efforts. The incident led to the arrest of the suspect by the Civil Guard, confirmed by the Güímar City Council in a social media post stating that the arrest took place within the municipality in the southern part of the island.
Earlier on Tuesday, Rosa Dávila, president of the Island Council, stated that one air unit suffered a loss when it was struck by a rock while delivering water to a storage tank. The impact compromised the tail rotor, prompting the crew to make a controlled emergency landing to safeguard the aircraft and crew.
The Güímar City Council clarified that the event occurred in the La Montañeta area. After the stone hit the rotors and propellers, the pilot executed a precautionary landing at the nearby Fatima football field to assess damage and ensure safety.
“Thanks to the rapid response of Local Police and Civil Guard, the individual was identified and arrested,” the council announced. They added that such acts, while carried out by a minority, threaten public safety and undermine the efforts of emergency services during critical operations. Considerable energy has been dedicated to containing the fire and protecting communities during this emergency.
In light of the incident, authorities urged the public to follow the directions issued by security and emergency officials and to refrain from interfering with ongoing operations.
Dávila acknowledged fears about water shortages, yet emphasized that resources diverted to firefighting should be guarded and protected to prevent any hindrance to the response efforts.
more detainees
This event marked the third detention linked to the Tenerife fire on the same day, with the Civil Guard also detaining two men in La Orotava over unauthorized access to an evacuated home. The neighborhood involved lies near the area situated above Benijos, an area overseen by the councilor for Environment, Safety and Emergency in La Orotava, Narciso Pérez. A substantial search and monitoring operation was conducted in the zone where evacuated houses are located, with Civil Guard, Local, and National Police maintaining oversight of properties since the evacuation began.