Hillside Fire Near Pueblo de Mogán, Man Arrested

A little shock tonight for the south west of Gran Canaria after a raging fire broke out on a hillside, just after 21:30, on Tuesday night, above the main GC200 highway connecting the popular town of Pueblo de Mogán and the village of Veneguera. Arriving to the blaze Policia Local immediately arrested a resident of La Aldea, in his mid 30s, on suspicion of having allegedly started the fire. Local residents had made sure that the man could not leave until the authorities arrived and took charge, according to sources at the scene.

The frightening events occurred very quickly, with reports that a fire had started in the municipality of Mogán. First to respond were a crew from the main Puerto Rico de Gran Canaria fire station, in Motor Grande, along with volunteer members of the Protection Civil, who were joined by fire crews from Arinaga and a Cabildo de Gran Canaria Environment Department team.

Three active fronts presented a serious challenge to firefighters who, after assessing the situation, decided to tackle the left flank, moving in the direction of Veneguera village, under control first, lowering its intensity and controlling the flames until the other crews arrived. Due to their quick response, the most dangerous section of burning scrubland was brought under their control within an hour and a half,  affecting more than 500 square meters of hillside.

By 11pm crews felt confident that the situation was stable and were able to disengage by around midnight leaving volunteers from the Protection Civil and the Environment Department, to monitor the scene to prevent the possibility of any reactivation of the flames, due to the wind and heat in the area.

Mogán’s Local Police, based nearby, and agents of the Guardia Civil attended also, to support the management of the scene following the arrest of the alleged perpetrator of the fire. Sources at the scene suggested that the man is suspected to have perpetrated similar crimes in the past, which is why when they found him there, and seeing that a fire had started, the wanted to make sure that the police would be able to question him.

Last night’s events occurred just a few kilometers from the site of the Tasarte fire, last February, which entered the Inagua Natural Reserve and burned 1,063 hectares.  There is no known link between the two events.