Tenerife is fighting a fire that broke out in the north of the island on Tuesday. On Saturday, authorities said it was out of control. The flames have already engulfed more than 5,000 hectares of forest land in 11 municipalities. Thousands of people have been evacuated and some remain indoors due to poor air quality.
The fire broke out on Tuesday in Teide National Park, a popular tourist attraction in Tenerife. High temperatures, gusty winds and low air humidity caused the fire to spread very quickly.
According to the latest official reports, more than five thousand hectares of forest have been burned in 11 municipalities. The Red Cross said that as of Saturday, 7,600 people had been evacuated or remained at home due to poor air quality.
‘No danger to tourists’
Tenerife authorities have informed travel agencies that the tourist infrastructure has not been affected by the fire, although it is not yet under control. As he emphasized in the official announcement, “there is no danger for tourists to stay on the island.”
“Never before has a fire of this magnitude been recorded in the Canary Islands,” the fire service said. More than 400 soldiers and firefighters equipped with more than 50 fire engines and more than 20 helicopters are involved in putting out the fire.
“Danger and near fire”
Low winds and ongoing firefighting efforts have slowed the spread of the blaze, island authorities said on Friday, but the situation remains difficult. On Saturday morning, further evacuation orders were issued for the residents of the threatened areas in the municipalities of La Matanza and La Orotava and the staff of the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics on Mount Teide.
“A text message has been sent to the affected population, urging them to leave their homes because of the danger and proximity of the fire,” said Manuel Miranda, Minister for Territorial Policy of the Canary Islands government.
On Monday, Tenerife will meet with Acting Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
They were the lungs of our island.
As experts explain, the scale of the fire in Tenerife is the result of several factors. In addition to the high temperature, the accumulation of flammable materials in forests played a major role, which accelerated the spread of fire. The islanders admit they are afraid of what they will see when the thick smoke clears.
– That’s where our lives are. We are helpless, we don’t know what will happen to us and our homes,” one of the evacuees in the village of Aguamansa told Reuters. They were the lungs of our island, and now we have a barren slope.
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Main image source: PAP/EPA/Alberto Valdes
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