The Tenerife town councils of Candelaria and Arona have prohibited carrying out San Juan’s bonfires on the beaches and public spaces of their respective municipalities to avoid damage to the coastline due to the accumulation of waste and the risk of uncontrolled bonfires.
Specifically the City Hall of Candelaria It has prohibited the carrying out of the San Juan bonfires on municipal beaches or any municipally owned space, as well as the burning of forest and agricultural waste due to the high amount of waste generated, in addition to the danger of fires.
In a statement, the City Council recalls that in previous years a lot of waste and rubbish has accumulated, with the presence of nails and glass, which poses a risk to users of the beaches, in addition to the fact that the bonfires do not go out correctly and incidents occur. for burns.
In addition, remember that the Cabildo de Tenerife has prohibited the recreational use of fire, bonfires of San Juan and San Pedro due to the danger of fires from the general road TF-28 towards the forest area, since these activities are the ones that cause the greatest number of fires. interventions of the security and emergency bodies and cause every year “escapes into areas with the potential to become forest fires”.
San Juan bonfires in public and private spaces
For his part the Arona Town Hall It will not allow bonfires or burning on the beaches, other public spaces and protected natural areas of the municipality to avoid damage to the coastline and the risk of fires due to uncontrolled bonfires.
Yes, bonfires may be made in private spaces, with prior authorization, from 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., as long as they meet the specified requirements and are not affected by the prohibition of the Cabildo de Tenerife to carry out fires in the entire area of forest fire hazard, in the areas of midlands and peaks throughout the island.
This prohibition in Arona affects the areas above the TF-28 road, and the City Council recalls that meetings of more than six people, as well as large bottles and braziers, are also prohibited.
In this regard, he points out that the security device dealt with a multitude of incidents related to uncontrolled fires and stubble produced by the bonfires, with the risk of fires that this entails.
The celebration of the bonfires on the coast of Arona has a great environmental impact and more than 4 tons of garbage are generated each year, especially plastics from bottles, bags, glass fragments from bottles and containers, without forgetting other waste generated by the own bonfires, such as the remains of wood, nails, among others, he adds.
And despite the exhaustive mechanical cleaning, with a tractor and sieve, and manually carried out by the Coastal Management service so that the beaches of Arona can return to their usual state, fragments of waste continue to appear on a daily basis from the celebration of events of previous years, regrets the City Council, which also alludes to the air pollution generated by smoke and which also affects people with asthma and lung and heart diseases.
Arona City Council invites citizens to celebrate this date with respect for the coastline and collecting waste generated in public spaces before leaving the meeting areas, while reminding that Las Vistas Beach will remain closed at night de San Juan.
