A German has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for causing a forest fire that killed a forest worker on the island of La Palma.

Scott Verdine Stumpf, 27, admitted accidentally starting the blaze in August 2016 after he attempted to burn soiled toilet paper following a call of nature while out on a forest trail on the island in the Canaries.

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The wildfire spread quickly and devastated around 5,000 acres of forest, engulfing the town of El Paso and forcing hundreds of people to be evacuated from their homes.

Stumpf, who was reportedly living in a cave on the island at the time, was arrested by a Civil Guard patrol who discovered him walking along the road as they went to the scene once the forest fire alarm was raised.

The fire claimed the life of a Francisco José Santana, a 54-year-old forest ranger and father of five, who was a member of one of the teams battling to control the flames.

A provincial court in Santa Cruz de Tenerife ruled that Stumpf should also pay €1.8n (£1.5m, $2m) for the restoration of the affected forest areas and compensate the relatives of the deceased forest worker.

The hot weather in the area means that small fires can occur, but vast forest fires like this one are rare.