The judicial authority has ordered preventive detention for the 50-year-old man, allegedly Los Realejos arsonist. According to sources of the investigation, the man has a deep knowledge of the environment where the fire broke out and experience in supporting extinction efforts. The National Police reported that the detainee had a police record for similar events and is suspected of being the cause of the forest fire that devastated more than five hectares of land in Los Realejos.
The fire occurred on July 14 in the area of the Los Dornajos ravine, in the Icod Alto neighborhood of Los Realejos, affecting an animal farm, but thanks to a large device mobilized by the Cabildo de Tenerife, it could finally be controlled.
The Judicial Police officers from the Puerto de la Cruz and Los Realejos National Police Stations quickly went to the scene of the fire to carry out the corresponding visual inspection, interview neighbors and look for possible witnesses. Through the procedures carried out, they focused on a man who had already been investigated in the past due to his extensive knowledge of the forest environment, experience in extinction work and a history of similar events that occurred in 2007.
Indications were found that pointed to his alleged authorship, since the suspect as an arsonist from Los Realejos was in a situation of temporal immediacy with the origin and time of the start of the fire. In addition, during the surveillance carried out by the investigators, he was observed contemplating the flames from the roof of a building, wearing the same clothes with which he had been identified at the scene of the fire.
The National Police proceeded to arrest the suspect in Los Realejos and, with judicial authorization, carried out a search at his home, where they seized the clothes he apparently was wearing when committing the acts, 25 lighters, 25 candles, 113 pieces of rolled paper that looked like a wick, two cans of ethyl alcohol and a mobile phone.
The alleged arsonist from Los Realejos was questioned at police stations and was later placed at the disposal of the judicial authority, who ordered his entry into preventive detention.
The National Police thanked the collaboration of the staff of the Los Realejos City Council, the Tenerife Cabildo and the Civil Guard, as well as Brifor, environmental agents, the Local Police and Seprona, whose help was essential in the investigation that led to the arrest of the suspect. They also especially thanked the citizens for their collaboration, whose disinterested contribution has made it possible to clarify crimes of this nature.
