A blazing inferno, the origins of which are currently under investigation by the Civil Guard, erupted on Wednesday night at the Retevisión premises, in the broadcasting hub situated in the Guaza mountain (Arona), impacting the DTT signal, mobile phone networks, and various radio companies. Numerous residents living in the southern region of the island were affected by the incident.
The blaze was extinguished by the Tenerife Firefighters Consortium, who were dispatched from the Las Chafiras base (San Miguel de Abona). Due to the treacherous conditions of the route leading to the premises, they had to resort to using multiple off-road vehicles (4×4), as it was impossible to travel to the location with tanker trucks.
For years, the staff responsible for maintaining the Guaza transmission centre have been urging for enhancements to be made to enable all types of vehicles to access the premises, situated at the summit of the iconic southern mountain, even during adverse weather conditions.
Iván Martín, the insular director of Security and president of the Tenerife Fire Department, revealed to this publication yesterday that the deployed team had to dismantle a fence (as the area was enclosed) and create “a small opening using drills through which they could insert the fire extinguishers to douse the flames.”
Martín confirmed that the establishment, classified as “high security,” had been “considerably impacted.” Conversely, the flames did not spread to the properties owned by the Tenerife Firefighters Consortium in the vicinity, as communicated by the insular director of Security.
It was disclosed that this is the second fire incident reported in the Guaza mountain in a span of just 48 hours, albeit the first being minor. The close occurrence of both events strengthens suspicions that the incidents were deliberate.
“A broadcast hub does not spontaneously ignite,” highlighted one of the affected individuals yesterday, who was firmly convinced, with a certainty of “90%,” that someone deliberately set fire to the exterior of the premises, which supply services to public and private entities across much of southern Tenerife.
Additional sources confirmed last evening that numerous instances of vandalism have recently been documented in other broadcasting centres, such as Retevisión in Adeje, or at one of the Cabildo’s meteorological stations near Boca de Tauce, in the forested area. In both instances, the culprit or culprits severed cables and caused destruction, however, “they did not steal anything,” noted the sources consulted, who highlighted that “multiple incidents have occurred.”
