The Government considers almost the entire perimeter stabilized but says that “not even remotely” is controlled, with an active front in the highlands of Güímar
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Aug. 23 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The forest fire that started eight days ago in the upper area of Arafo continues its evolution in a stable manner after a “quiet night” and with few shocks that maintain the burned area at about 14,751 hectares with a perimeter of 90 kilometers.
“The fire is not even remotely controlled, it has only stabilized for the most part, but after a week we are going to defeat it,” the Canary Islands Government Territorial Policy Minister, Manuel Miranda, who has had an impact on that “morale is very high” after eight days of “exhausting” work.
The fire is still active in the upper area of the municipality of Güímar but there will be reactivations of sources “throughout the day” due to the high temperatures, so work on the perimeter will be reinforced with troops from the EIRIF from La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro, plus 18 aerial means and some 300 troops on the ground.
The counselor has highlighted the “double demonstration of force” that is observed on the island, that of the fire itself and that of all the professionals who “fight” against the fire, waging a “very tough battle” that the firefighting services “are winning”.
“You have to be optimistic”, he commented, stressing that there is still a need to be “caution” because a “hard and complicated day” is facing due to the high temperatures that will cause reactivations in the perimeter.
The head of Emergencies of the Government of the Canary Islands, Montserrat Román, has advanced that on the afternoon of this Wednesday, at 5:00 p.m., there will be a new coordination meeting with the Cabildo de Tenerife and the town halls to determine possible relocations if the conditions of the fire so they allow it.
Thus, the number of people evacuated in the municipalities of Tacoronte and Güímar and also in the upper area of El Sauzal and Santa Úrsula remains open at 3,109, but only the Santa Úrsula shelter remains open, with 54 people, given that the 109 from the municipality from Tacoronte have been transferred to hotels on the island.
150 ANIMALS SHELTERED
As for the animals, there are still some 150 sheltered in the municipality of La Orotava with the forecast that they will be removed by their owners throughout this Wednesday.
Román also pointed out that there is a broken pipe in the upper area of El Sauzal and that the water supply has been recovered in the Tenerife II prison thanks to tanker trucks.
Likewise, and like the counselor, he stressed that people who are going to return to their homes must “clean and maintain” the houses, removing brush, eliminating dry leaves and wood and avoiding flammable elements outside in case of proximity of the flames.
Regarding air quality, he commented that it continues to be very unfavorable, especially in the municipalities of La Orotava and Los Realejos and the upper area of Candelaria due to the concentration of fine particles and smoke accumulation at night, in such a way that recommends the use of FPP2 mask in case of going outside.
To better monitor air quality, the mobile station that was located in Arafo has been moved to the municipality of La Orotava.
Pedro Martínez, head of the forestry service of the Cabildo de Tenerife, has insisted that the night has been “very calm” and this Wednesday they will try to “ensure” the work and control the reactivation of some outbreaks, especially in the northern part from La Esperanza, El Sauzal, La Matanza and the Valley of La Orotava.
He has indicated that the device continues with a “very large muscle” to consolidate the perimeter and that the reproductions of fire “are not intense” and can be controlled or isolated from the fuel. “There remains a lot of work, the most arduous, there will be hot spots for a long time and the entire perimeter must be consolidated,” she pointed out.
In this line, he has valued the “successful” work of this Tuesday’s day except in the bottoms of some ravines because they are difficult to access to perimeter.
The Emergency Director of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Federico Grillo, who has completed his interventions as part of the analysis team this Wednesday, has pointed out that the potential of the fire is now “practically nil”.
A “SIGNATURE, AUTHOR” FIRE
He has described the fire as “signature”, with its “own identity”, which has enormously “complicated” the work of extinction, emphasizing that it spreads like a “ring of fire” that extends with an interior area as a “embers”, leaving the flames to the outside.
Along these lines, he has indicated that his behavior is “very aggressive” in the head area that caused him to climb “very quickly” at the summit of Arafo at the beginning, to the point that he “ran more” than the extinction team itself.
In those moments, he has pointed out, you cannot try to tackle it head-on because it is like “stopping an avalanche by placing yourself below is sending people to their deaths.”
For this reason, he has detailed, you enter through the lower part “and attack from the flanks” and there is only room for one work unit.
“It doesn’t matter if you have twenty units. You can’t send all the media in the first phase, it’s a waste of media, there has to be an increase in units depending on the work sectors,” he pointed out.
“THERE IS NO TOTAL LOSS OF FOREST”
Grillo has also pointed out that despite the fact that the fire has burned almost 15,000 hectares, the area “is not devastated”, the natural species “will adapt” and the mountains will “recover”, as has happened throughout the history of the island where there have been other large fires and volcanic eruptions.
Along these lines, he has commented that the Canary Island pine “has a very good adaptation” and there are sections of the perimeter with “minimal damage” and others that are going to leave erosive processes, but he has guaranteed that there will be areas that “will recover in a few months”. .
He has even indicated that part of the burned pine trees will throw needles to the ground and “it will be good” to stop erosion.
Grillo has also indicated that the high intensity of the fire has been more than 30% but he understands that there is no “total loss of forest” although “it will cost a little” to recover it.
The director of Emergencies has confessed that they have found themselves “very comfortable” working in Tenerife and has made it clear that “when any island burns it is as if Gran Canaria were burning”. “We are all one”, he has added himself.
