Tenerife man arrested for throwing stones at fire-fighting helicopter

A firefighter plane discharges water over Guimar, as wildfires rage out of control on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo

TENERIFE, Canary Islands, Spain (Reuters) - An 80-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly throwing stones at a helicopter being used to extinguish a wildfire that has been raging on the Spanish island of Tenerife for nearly a week.

The stones hit the blades of the helicopter, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing at a nearby football pitch, the mayor's office of the town of Guimar on the Canary Islands said in a statement.