The forest fire that broke out this past Monday at midday in the municipality of El Tanque (Tenerife), which also affected Santiago del Teide, was reported as controlled this Tuesday at 19:00 hours after affecting a total of 81 hectares, mainly of scrub and broom, and spreading over a perimeter of 4.63 kilometres, according to the press conference given by the Minister of Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security and Emergencies, Blanca Pérez.
The Minister has indicated that the firefighting teams, consisting of 21 people, will continue working in the area tonight to ensure no re-ignitions occur.
Once the forest fire was declared controlled, the Cabildo lowered the emergency level to 0 and proceeded to deactivate the Tenerife Island Emergency Plan (PEIN).
The president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, stated that “everything seems to indicate” that the origin of the forest fire may lie in a “lapse” of human error.
Minister Blanca Pérez was accompanied by the island director of Natural Environment, Pedro Millán; the island director of Security and Emergencies, Iván Martín; and the head of the forestry technical service, Pedro Martínez. Pérez detailed that the work during the day has focused on preventing re-ignitions within the affected perimeter.
“The high temperatures and the presence of rugged areas with small hot spots have complicated the work, but the intense effort of the deployed teams made it possible to declare the situation controlled,” emphasised the minister.
Blanca Pérez admitted that it was a “relatively complicated” fire, although it was possible to be optimistic once it was observed that the perimeter did not grow during the night.
“It was necessary to trace the containment lines, a difficult job because it is an area with much rock and bad terrain. We also wanted to wait until the hottest hours had passed to check that no re-ignitions would occur,” summarised Blanca Pérez, adding that it is expected that temperatures will drop tonight and tomorrow.
Furthermore, she reiterated that the causes point more towards potential negligence rather than intentional arson, but the investigation into the causes will continue.
The head of Forestry Risk at the Cabildo of Tenerife, Pedro Martínez, explained that the fire spread mainly through pasture areas “very quickly, but with low intensity”.
“The scrub is still green and therefore we have greater proliferation of herbaceous plants, which is fuel, but not all the scrub participated. As summer progresses and heatwaves occur, it is normal for us to encounter more complicated fires, which is the usual pattern summer after summer. A fire of this nature at the end of August would have been more complicated,” summarised the technician.
The Cabildo of Tenerife deployed a contingent of 80 people during the day with the support of nine aerial resources (eight helicopters and one Air Tractor). This operation also included personnel from the Cabildo’s Brifor Operation, the Tenerife Fire Consortium, and Volunteer Firefighters.
Additionally, the emergency was supported by units from the Army, Civil Guard, Canarian Police, Local Police of El Tanque and Santiago del Teide, Red Cross, and Civil Protection associations.
The insular corporation reminds that an alert situation has been declared due to the risk of forest fire in Tenerife and that Grade 1 measures for the prevention of forest fires have been implemented. Therefore, making fires in recreational and outdoor areas – whether barbecues, bonfires, camp stoves, or gas kitchens – is prohibited, along with the use of any machinery or tools that may emit sparks (brush cutters, welding equipment, machines that produce sparks, or cutting tools) and any pyrotechnic materials in risk areas.
Furthermore, smoking is also prohibited in recreational areas, camping zones, camps, tracks and trails, viewpoints, and other public infrastructure located in the mountains.
