The fire burns in Tenerife more than 110 hectares and it is ruled out that it stabilizes in the next few hours. This has been reported by the regional councilor for the Presidency, Justice and Security of the Government of the Canary Islands, Julio Pérez, who has added that despite the fact that the figures may point to a slight fire, the weather combination is worrying, which requires “paying maximum attention and to take extreme precautions”.
In fact, it is expected that over the next few hours increase the area affected by the flamesso the firefighting teams will remain overnight, as long as conditions allow.
Until now, the perimeter of the fire is around five kilometers among the municipalities of The Realejos Y San Juan de la Ramblathe latter where the first major firefighting front is concentrating.
It is precisely in this locality where The first evictions have occurred: According to Julio Pérez, 31 neighbors have been evacuated from their homes “without having to set up a place to house them.”
The Security adviser indicated that the flames “remain relatively far from the population” and that these evacuations take place in a preventive manner. In the same way, caution is the argument put forward by the regional councilor to justify the prohibition of leisure activities in forest and recreational areas of all the municipalities that are between Santa Úrsula and Icod de Los Vinos “although the imminent arrival of the fire to these localities is not foreseen”.
UME troops leave their base in Gando, Gran Canaria, to join the efforts to extinguish the Los Realejos forest fire, in Tenerife.
The ten aerial means that participate in the work of extinguishing the fire are considered sufficient, although the presence of seaplanes that are in peninsular territory has been requested, but their participation is now compromised in the fires that affect the continental territory, Julio pointed out Perez.
So far, 91 people who live near the advance of the forest fire have been evicted.
17:56
The mayor of La Guancha, Antonio Hernández (PP), assures that the fire is already in the Risco de Las Palmas ravine, entering the municipality of La Guancha.
17:44
It continues to be very hot in the area of the fire (Forestry Crown and upper middle areas of Los Realejos and San Juan de la Rambla) above 30 degrees, very low humidity (less than 30%) and a slight breeze that does not help either. extinction. A change in wind direction is expected overnight, which could affect the right flank of the fire. For this reason, the firefighting troops will begin to be relocated to attack that area.
17:44
The total number of people evicted for now is about 100 people (38 residents of San Juan de la Rambla, 60 boys and girls from the camp and some hikers who were in mountain areas that have been evicted since noon between Los Realejos and El Tanque.
17:43
The Advanced Command Post has been located in the Medianias market in San Juan de la Rambla, where the Media Reception Center (CRM) is also located.
17:42
The Red Cross is assembling a device with the capacity to house 50 people in the municipal pavilion of San José, in San Juan de la Rambla.
17:41
San Juan de la Rambla has evicted 38 residents of El Andén, Lomo Hurtado and Fuente del Bardo as a precaution. They have all relocated to the homes of family and friends.
17:37
The spokesperson for the Government of the Canary Islands, Julio Pérez, has reported that the fire has already devoured 100 hectares of scrubland and it is expected that the burned area will increase in the next few hours. It is not foreseeable that the fire will stabilize in the next few hours.
17:35
A total of 31 people have been evicted from their homes in San Juan de la Rambla (28 adults and three minors) who resided in 13 houses that are one kilometer from the line of fire, as reported by the regional Security Councilor, Julio Pérez.
16:45
The Minister for the Presidency, Justice and Security and spokesperson for the Government of the Canary Islands, Julio Pérez, and the President of the Council of TenerifePedro Martín, appear to report on the progress of the declared fire on the island and that affects the municipalities of Los Realejos and San Juan de La Rambla
16:45
Five helicopters have been working on the scene for several hours, a plane from La Gomera that deposits retardant liquid and a helicopter from La Palma that has been requested to reinforce the troops has also left for Tenerife. In addition, the teams of the forestry brigades have been distributed, so that those from the morning shift have continued their work and those from the afternoon-night shift have joined earlier.
16:44
The fight against the fire declared this Thursday in Tenerife is focused on two fronts and covers some 60 hectares of scrubland, in a “complicated and fuel-intensive” area.
16:18
Images from the Civil Guard helicopter of the fire in Los Realejos (Tenerife) that has forced the evacuation of 60 people from the El Lagar camp and the closure of the TF-344 road.
15:02
The advance of the flames and the difficulty in controlling the fire leads the authorities to vacate several camping areas more on the mountain Tenerife.
The concern is, as both Pérez and the president of the Council of TenerifePedro Martín, in weather conditions that do not risk easy fire control. High temperatures, low relative humidity and some wind “annoy” when it comes to putting out the fire.
To this is added that the area in which the fire has been declared is one of those that has registered “some of the worst fires in Tenerife”, according to the regional councilor who, as Martín did this morning, is one of the reasons that have led institutions to “use all available means” in extinguishing tasks since the outbreak was declared shortly after ten in the morning.
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The insular president recalled that “what was an attempt at the beginning, occurred in a area with serious history and with abundant material to feed the fire“, so from the first hour “the objective was to attack with all the fire”.
“The decision was made to have the troops corresponding to a level 2 although managed by the Cabildo,” said Martin, who stressed that a few hours later “due to the advance of the fire and with an increasingly wide radius of action” they bet to pass the level. “It was not that it began to affect the population, but it did we needed to have more ground personnel and when moving to level 2 it was possible incorporate the EMU“.
Thus, up to ten air media have been added between media from Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and the Government of the Canary Islands and About 230 troops participate in the deviceof which 150 are directly dedicated to fighting the flames.
“Facing an emergency requires the sum of efforts on the part of all administrations and it has been like this since ten in the morning,” assured Julio Pérez, who reiterated that has asked the Government of Spain to send a seaplane to assist in firefighting.
The counselor and the insular president agreed that “it is difficult” for the State Executive to attend to this request immediately, taking into account that the devices are committed to attending to whats numerous fires that devastate the country “and that affect more than 10,000 hectares,” Pérez said.
While, Peter Martin He said “we are still waiting” for at least one seaplane to be sent, but he trusted that “the number of our own resources and the improvement of weather conditions tomorrow allow a more favorable forecast”.
