The Department of Citizen Safety and Emergencies of the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council has planned and put into action a security and emergency prevention setup in anticipation of the upcoming celebration of San Juan’s bonfires across the city area.
Recent days have seen preparatory measures involving identification, inspection, and geolocation of areas where significant amounts of materials are gathered for burning or where bonfires are being prepared, according to a municipal statement.
For tomorrow, Sunday, an additional 46 officers from the Local Police will reinforce the operational teams on duty.
There will also be an increased presence of Civil Protection personnel, including technicians and members of the Santa Cruz Civil Protection Volunteer group; additionally, staff at the Transmission Center (Cetra) of the Operational Coordination Center of the Local Administration (Cecopal) will be strengthened.
Effective coordination with various municipal public services is highlighted in the statement as a crucial aspect.
With the data collected by the city’s Civil Protection on public roads, a digital “bonfire map” is being created, detailing images, materials used, dimensions, and associated risk levels.
Specific assessments will include the geolocation of the bonfire and its compliance with municipal bonfire regulations, regulations from the Island Council of Tenerife, and Coastal Law provisions.
This document will be shared with the Tenerife Fire Consortium and the Canary Islands 112 Emergency and Security Coordinating Center to enable timely intervention in case of incidents or lack of fire control during the festivities.
To streamline pre-emptive measures, the Santa Cruz City Council has long allowed bonfire organizers to notify authorities via the municipal website. There are safety recommendation sections and informative videos available on the website as well.
The council reminds that bonfires are prohibited on roads, public spaces, parks, gardens, and especially Anaga ravines due to forest fire risks, as highlighted by the Tenerife Cabildo recently.
Furthermore, bonfires are strictly forbidden on beaches under Coastal regulations.
It is crucial to maintain a minimum distance of 20 meters between bonfires and buildings, roads, electrical or telephone lines, as well as parked vehicles. A recommended distance of approximately 50 meters between bonfires is also advised.
