Emmasa technicians (the company of the municipal water supply service of Santa Cruz de Tenerife) are investigating what could have caused the fire that last night started in a ravine and spread through the sewers in the Avenida de Los Majuelos area, at the height from the neighborhood of El Sobradillo.
The fire burned plastic pipes and dense columns of black smoke rose to the surface, which generated concern and alarm among the citizens, at the same time that motivated the mobilization of various security and emergency resources, such as several teams of the Tenerife Fire Brigade, local police and Civil Protection volunteers.
The flames started around 8:30 p.m. and shortly before 11:00 p.m. the situation was under control. And, in fact, after 10:30 p.m. some equipment from the fire service had been withdrawn.
Municipal sources explained that the flames could have started in a small riverbed located in the vicinity of the aforementioned Avenida de Los Majuelos, at the junction with the road that goes up to El Sobradillo, near the Manocar commercial establishment.
Until last night there were no water cuts or interruptions in the electricity supply.
The Local Police keep one of the lanes of the aforementioned road closed to traffic so that Emmasa technicians, together with other professionals from Endesa and Imes (the public lighting service concessionaire), can access the sewers and draw conclusions on the origin and scope of the flames through the underground pipes.
The aforementioned sources commented that “the causes are unknown.” Firefighters were slow to act against the flames, due to the dense columns of existing smoke. In fact, the residents of the area were advised to close doors and windows to avoid poisoning.
The notification to Endesa personnel was made to determine if the origin of the fire was in a substation or in a nearby electrical installation.
The mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez, and the councilor of the Southwest District, Javier River, attended El Sobradilloor, to know the situation on the ground. In the ravine part of the land gave way, so it also had to be fenced off by the Local Police.
