Not even the oldest remember that a fire has ever descended down the slope that, like a green wall, presides over the village flank of the Valley of La Orotava. The tongues of fire that roamed wildly on Thursday and Friday in a chaotic and anarchic way along the almost vertical wall of this imposing natural setting mercilessly charred the vegetation they found in their path. One of the atavistic fears of the people of La Orotava unfortunately came true.
All the eyes of the inhabitants of the Valley are on La Florida, Pino Alto, Pinolere, Mamio and Aguamansa, in this great corner of pines, monteverde and chestnut trees. Faces and gestures of disappointment, sorrow and also anger. It is not for less. A green heritage that has been dyed black. That dear and majestic part of the heights of the Villa has seen with the clarity of daylight the ravages of the previous night, given the impotence and rage of not being able to do anything until the flames have touched a more accessible ground for that the fire-fighting personnel deployed to the area act in situ. And even so, the result is uncertain and disturbing, although there are small traces of moderate optimism to try to stop the advance.
Neighbors of Pinolere and Aguamansa, Tenerife guardians of agricultural and ethnographic traditions, who sadly observe from a distance the evolution of the fire cannot believe what is happening. Concern for their houses and their farms, but also for a landscape that they feel proud of and that they have been able to preserve despite the fact that they have sometimes been hit by the odd damn fire, although not anywhere near the magnitude of this one. “No such thing has ever happened here. I don’t remember it, nor did my parents tell me that something similar had happened”, emphasized a lifelong resident of El Velo, in Aguamansa, who had put his two horses safely away on Thursday morning and who was looking at the flame evolution.
In Pinolere, Nazario, 74, a native of this neighborhood and a resident of Las Galletas, in the South, has not hesitated to go to his hometown to support his daughter, who has been evacuated, and her friends and neighbors. “It hurts what is happening. A tremendous shame. I have never seen this. I never thought something like this would happen, ”he narrates, sadly.
Nazario is proud of Pinolere, its people and its landscapes, and appreciates the efforts of the professionals who work hand in hand to tackle this misfortune.
“We are in suspense. Let’s see if this happens once and for all.” The one who expresses herself this way is Leandra, 55, who together with her husband, Domingo, and the aforementioned Nazario, among many other neighbors, remains expectant in the Plaza de Pinolere, right next to the fairgrounds where the fair is held every September. popular craft fair.
Leandra and Domingo have their house a few meters away, but they cannot be there because it is within the perimeter evicted by the emergency services. The two have not wanted to go to the Quiquirá pavilion, one of the accommodation resources made available by the City Council, and they stay to sleep in their own business, the Estanco La Lucha, located in the bus station. Although they have not gone to spend the night in the Quiquirá, they have donated food for their neighbors who are in the compound. Solidarity that is not lacking at this time.
Early Friday morning, when the fire showed the ferocity of the flames in all its splendor, the heart sank to see the surroundings of Los Órganos burn, one of the most emblematic and beautiful places in this enclave, the object of walks and veneration of own and strangers.
Advance slows, but fire continues unchecked
Last night the 72 hours of the fire declared on Tuesday (11:36 p.m.) in Arafo were fulfilled, which in its evolution has also affected Candelaria, El Rosario, La Orotava, Santa Úrsula, La Victoria, La Matanza, El Sauzal and Tacoronte. The flames have already devastated a perimeter of around 42 kilometers and its surface is close to 4,000 hectares. The fire continues out of control, but, with all possible exceptions and precautions, it can be stated that the fire, with completely unusual characteristics until yesterday, has normalized its evolution, which in turn has allowed the intense efforts to extinguish turning out to be more effective.
