A forest fire has destroyed around 7 percent of the land area of La Palma island in Spain, it was reported Tuesday.

The fire began on island -- the fifth largest of the Canary Islands -- last Wednesday and was caused by a man burning toilet paper in the woods.

According to regional authorities, the fire has so far destroyed almost 5,000 hectares of forest on the island.

The flames also claimed the life of a 54-year-old forest official, while over 3,000 residents had to be evacuated from their homes since last week.

By Monday night, the fire was relatively stabilized with the efforts of some 560 firemen and 1,000 containers of water dropped from 12 firefighting aircraft.

"The work of the firefighters has been heroic and without limits, but the fire still needs to be controlled," said Nieves Lady Barreto from the Canary Island regional government.

"We have taken an important step forward, but we still have to keep on working," she added.

A 27-year-old German man, who accidentally started the blaze, remains in prison. He could face charges of involuntary manslaughter and starting blaze.

Source : XINHUA