At the moment there are 3,069 evacuees and 3,820 confined
Some 226 troops will continue working overnight
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 17 (EUROPA PRESS)
The forest fire that began on the night of August 15 on Mount Arafo, on the island of Tenerife, continues out of control and has so far affected more than 3,273 hectares, which has forced new evacuations in El Sauzal and La Matanza.
In this sense, the fire, which is beyond the capacity to extinguish despite all the means deployed, has a perimeter of about 41 kilometers, affecting the municipalities of Arafo, Candelaria, Santa Úrsula, La Matanza, El Rosario and La Orotava, El Sauzal and Tacoronte.
This was revealed this Thursday during the press conference at 10:00 p.m. to update the information on the evolution of the fire.
By municipalities, in Candelaria 1,134 hectares are affected, in Arafo 1,089; in El Rosario 505, in La Orotava 270, in Santa Úrsula 160, in La Victoria 60, in El Sauzal 39 and in Tacoronte 12 hectares.
The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, explained that the teams had great difficulty throughout the day in carrying out the extinction tasks due to the weather conditions with the heat and the wind; and the orography of the land.
“At times, even the visibility of air resources has been affected, not being able to intervene in some areas so as not to come into conflict with seaplanes, which have been unloading continuously throughout the day,” he said.
Clavijo pointed out that although the fire continues to advance “we can say that the defensive lines that have been established in the main population centers such as La Esperanza or Santa Úrsula and La Orotava are beginning to have a bit of an effect.”
However, the fire has very complex characteristics, which, the president highlighted, makes the good work of the firefighting teams more appreciated.
SOME 226 EFFECTIVES WORKING DURING THE NIGHT
During the day, more than 260 troops have worked on extinction tasks, 226 unloadings of aerial means have been carried out “and except for the incident of a medium-sized helicopter that has had some technical difficulties that are being assessed”, this Friday it will be possible to have 16 air means.
Meanwhile, at night some 226 troops will continue to work by land. Likewise, tonight the work will focus on the ‘defense’ of the fire areas in the municipalities of Santa Úrsula, La Orotava and La Esperanza.
ALMOST 6,900 NEIGHBORS BETWEEN EVICTED AND CONFINED PEOPLE
As for the evicted and confined people, it is estimated that there are some 6,889 people –3,069 evicted and 3,820 confined–.
The president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, stressed that the fire has a flank that worries and that it affects the municipalities of La Orotava, Santa Úrsula, El Sauzal and La Matanza.
For this reason, he recalled that in the last hours the General Directorate of Emergencies of the Government of the Canary Islands has issued evacuation orders from the neighborhoods of Baboseras Altas, Camino El Pozo, Lomo Piedra to Calderetas (from San Cristóbal street to the mountain) and La Vica, in the municipality of El Sauzal; and La Vica and El Pirul, in the municipality of La Matanza. Evacuated people can go to the La Perdoma pavilion in the municipality of La Orotava.
During the afternoon there were also preventive evacuation orders in the Pino Alto neighborhood, in the municipality of La Orotava; and in El Pinalete, Galván, Las Vigas and Lo de Los Ramos, Camino de La Granja, Los Eres, Lomo Juan Lian and the access to the Barranco de Añavingo, all these nuclei in the municipality of Arafo.
This decision is added to the one adopted during the night to confine the entire urban area of La Esperanza, in El Rosario, as well as to evacuate the upper part of the Hondo ravine, Las Rosas, Los Apaches-Camino La Huerta, in the same municipality of El Rosario, and the eviction of La Resbala and Pinolere in La Orotava.
Previously, the area of Las Barreras and Calle Preventorio, in El Rosario, were evacuated; as well as the area that goes from Vista La Huerta street and Preventorio street to the Hogar School (TF -274), Camino Los Panascos Bajos to Juan Antonio Díaz street and Las Rosas and Doctor Caldera streets to the General Highway TF -24, in the same municipality. For these people, the municipal Pavilion of El Chorrillo-San Isidro has been set up as a shelter.
In La Orotava, the evacuation of the descent of the Teide Restaurant drinker to La Florida was also ordered and as a meeting point and shelter the Quiquirá municipal Pavilion. Both centers have the capacity to accommodate pets.
“All the evacuated areas are being monitored for the tranquility of the evicted people,” said the president of the Cabildo.
RELOCATIONS OF THE ELDERLY AND DEPENDENTS
For her part, the Minister of Social Welfare of the Government of the Canary Islands, Candelaria Delgado, has reported that due to the smoke it has been decided, in coordination with the Cabildo de Tenerife and municipalities affected by the fire, the redistribution of elderly and dependent people with serious respiratory problems to public health centers in Tacoronte and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Delgado has also indicated that he is in contact with those responsible for the Las Raíces migration center, due to the confinement, since it is in the La Esperanza area, and in case it is necessary to evacuate them to the Las Canteras barracks.
