The President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Angel Victor Torresassured this Friday that the fire in Tenerife already affects “a just over 500 hectares” in the municipalities of Los Realejos, San Juan de la Rambla and La Guancha. The fire, which has a perimeter of eleven kilometers“is not controlled and is still active”. The fire started in an area known as The Campeches in the municipality of Los Realejos, in the same place where another forest fire broke out in 2007.
In the first eight hours the fire affected some 110 hectares. Between 6:00 p.m. yesterday and 9:00 a.m. today, it has spread over some 390 more hectares, especially towards the forest crown and the west (in the direction of La Guancha), reports the head of the Service of Civil Protection and Emergency Care of the Government of the Canary Islands, Monserrat Román.
A dozen air resources and more than a hundred troops are working on the ground, a score more than yesterday, to attack the different flanks that continue to be active.
Torres indicated that the San Juan ravine and the Los Realejos flank are of particular concern.
Román has indicated that the drones of the Cabildo have detected that the fire is going towards the summit and is cooling down.
As for the temperatures, they will be below 30 degrees, the wind drops a bit and the humidity is still below 30%. Torres asked the population for caution, since As of Sunday, “worse temperatures are expected throughout the Canary Islands”, so the fire alert will continue to be active and “the next two days will be key” due to weather conditions. If there are no changes in the wind and temperatures, it is expected that between Friday and Saturday “you can start to control”, if nothing goes wrong. “There is a window of opportunity of 48 hours,” emphasizes Torres.
The wind speed is now between 10 and 15 kilometers per hour, which helps to attack the fire during these hours of the morning.
No population evacuations are planned. although last night there were neighbors who decided on their own to leave their homes preventively and stay in the homes of relatives and acquaintances. There have been no animal evacuations.
First thing this morning, the fire monitoring commission, chaired by Torres, met. The evaluation made by the technicians this morning is positive, although the work is focused on the right flank, where the UME and the Cabildo media are, carrying out widening fires supported by tracks. The upper part of the San Juan ravine is also worrying, where it is not possible to act with land means. That is where the discharges from the aerial means will be concentrated because the channels of three small ravines that feed that larger ravine are burning.
It is about cooling the hot spots around the San Juan ravine. Tonight the sea of clouds is expected to rise and help cool the affected area.
The president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Peter Martin, values the enormous work carried out during the night “with firewall numbers that have helped to stop the eastern flank, which was the one that most worried us.” In addition, the work of drones is being essential to detect hot spots and protect land resources.
Martín has also reported that 40 homes in San Juan de la Rambla have been left without water due to the breakage of the channel that supplies the Los Cuchillos reservoir. Supply alternatives are sought for these neighbors.
The starting point of the fire is located, but the causes of the fire are being investigated.
