The fire that started a week ago in the north of Tenerife has been controlled after a night in which humidity and a drop in temperatures prevailed, as reported this Friday by the president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín.
The fire started in the area of Los Campeches, in the municipality of Los Realejos, and has also affected the mountains of San Juan de la Rambla, La Guancha and Icod de los Vinos.
The president of the Tenerife Cabildo has highlighted in a press conference the “very positive evolution” in the control of the fire, which since Wednesday corresponds to the island corporation when it went down to level 1.
He pointed out that “there is practically no smoke on the Tigaiga hillside, so the fire has been considered controlled”, which may take a couple of months to extinguish if it does not rain in the area beforehand.
Although the fire is already controlled, they will continue to work, in a “more calm” way and mainly in Tigaiga, between two and three surveillance teams in addition to two helicopters that will discharge water from time to time, said Pedro Martínez, the director of extinction .
The technician has highlighted that the humidity has increased, although the sea of clouds has not reached the area of the fire, which apparently has been caused, since there are “few reasons” that indicate that it was fortuitous.
In this regard, the president of the Cabildo has commented that three days ago, when it was possible to access the area where the fire originated, police investigations began to find its cause.
He recalled that two weeks earlier there was an incident in the same area, while asking the population to be attentive to any signs and to call the emergency services if they see smoke or any suspicious behavior.
The Councilor for Management of the Natural Environment and Security of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Isabel García, has emphasized the importance of the introduction of new technologies, such as drones, devices that have been used for the first time in a fire in Tenerife.
Likewise, he has valued the good work of the extinguishing teams, who have faced flames of between 50 and 60 meters.
The minister has also announced that as of Sunday, and given the forecast of a new heat wave, preventive measures could be taken in the mountains of the island.
The fire has affected 2,753 hectares, of which 226 in the Teide National Park, in a perimeter greater than 34 kilometers.
Once the fire has been controlled, they will now begin to assess the environmental and infrastructure damage it has caused.
At the moment it is known that within the Teide National Park 213 hectares of pine forest and 13 of broom have been burned.
