SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Oct. 15 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The change in meteorological conditions expected for Monday night makes it necessary to maintain the current deployment of resources and forces us to maintain level 2 severity of the fire that has affected the island of Tenerife since last August 15, given the possibility of reactivations arising due to gusts of wind.
This has been agreed by the management of the Special Protection Plan for Civil Protection and Emergency Response to Forest Fires of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands (INFOCA), which met today, Sunday, to analyze the evolution of the work of the extinguishing device during the last hours.
In that sense, the critical moment of greatest danger that could occur at the end of the heat episode and change in meteorology, with erratic gusty winds typical of this transit, is of particular concern. The archipelago has been immersed for days in a mass of warm air of African origin, with a surface flow that has oscillated between east and southeast, and this circumstance has given rise to an episode of high temperatures and haze that has continued until today. .
During yesterday, Saturday, land and air resources worked intensely to contain the reproductions that were recorded mainly in Montaña El Haya and Cuatro Veredas, in the municipality of Tacoronte; in Salto El Molino and La Vica, in La Matanza; Ravelo, in El Sauzal; in Santa Ursula; on Pista Los Órganos-Casa del Agua, Benijos piste and Altos de Pinolere in La Orotava; and Dornajos, in the municipality of La Victoria. However, during the night there have been no important reproductions except for some small ones within a burnt area without major significance, such as the one recorded early in the morning in Cruz de Tea, in Santa Úrsula.
Today, Sunday, 112 ground troops supported by 7 helicopters intervene in extinguishing tasks, as well as personnel from the Civil Guard and the General Corps of the Canarian Police who are in charge of reinforcing security around the perimeter of the fire, and CECOPIN coordination personnel, of the General Directorate of Emergencies and CECOES 1-1-2. The extinguishing teams will be distributed in the areas of Carril del Polvo, Aguilillas, Cruz del Dornajo, Cueva Labrada, Fuentefría.
In the area of the fire, a significant drop in temperatures is expected in the next two days, a drop that in this period may be between 4º and 5ºC in the maximum temperatures, although the minimum temperatures will decrease to a lesser extent. Today the maximum is expected to be between 30º and 32ºC, and the minimum around 22ºC. Cloudy skies are expected due to the presence of high cloudiness both today and tomorrow, with intervals of medium clouds in the second half of Sunday and the first half of Monday, although without precipitation.
As for the wind, today and tomorrow the fire area will be under the influence of the breeze regime, which translates into light winds (intensities below 15 – 20 km/h) of very variable direction. The southeast direction will predominate at night and the northwest during the day.
The maximum alert situation declared by the General Directorate of Emergencies due to the risk of forest fire in the Western Islands and Gran Canaria remains in force, as well as the pre-alert situations due to haze and high temperatures throughout the Archipelago.
The Plan Directorate also insists that the population must respect the access restrictions to the fire area to facilitate the transit of emergency vehicles and prevent new reactivations from occurring, as well as respect the restrictions regarding traffic on trails and the prohibition of lighting any type of fire outside for recreational purposes.
