2023-08-19 16:01:57
The forest fire that broke out on Tuesday in Tenerife has spread to the north of the island and has forced new evacuations of the population in the municipalities of La Orotava, Santa Úrsula, La Matanza, La Victoria and Tacoronte. Despite the fact that the forecasts were favorable on Friday, the night was complex due to changes in the wind, low humidity and high temperatures. The total number of people evacuated or confined now amounts to 8,000, although only 114 are in emergency accommodation – such as temporary shelters and sports centers – that several municipalities have launched. “Reality has exceeded expectations”: this is how the Canarian president, Fernando Clavijo, began the press conference this Saturday morning.
“The meteorological behavior last night has been frankly severe with the conditions of the fire. The winds, the temperature and the circumstances were much worse than expected, and this caused the fire to overflow, mainly on the northern slope”, Clavijo detailed. The Canarian president has remarked that thanks to the personnel who work in the extinction work, the worst scenario has not been reached.
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???? The fire overflows on the North slope with evacuated areas from Tacoronte to Los Realejos. It is an unusual fire with dimensions never seen before.
???? There is no need to regret damage to any home. pic.twitter.com/nld7bVfM3A— Firefighters of Tenerife (@BomberosTf) August 19, 2023
Early in the morning, several evictions were carried out in some parts of La Orotava, Santa Úrsula, La Matanza, La Victoria, Tacoronte and Los Realejos. Clavijo recalled that the evacuations are of a preventive nature. And he has sent a message of tranquility to the population on the fourth day of the fire. “Throughout the day, part of the perimeter has been consolidating despite everything,” he pointed out.
The technicians have referred to the circumstances of the fire as absolutely exceptional, partly due to the clouds that prevent air resources from getting into the task. They have defined it as a “hungry” fire with unusual behavior aggravated by weather conditions. The wind has caused it to advance aggressively, and the low humidity and high temperatures can cause difficult situations throughout the day. Clavijo has specified that in the part of Santa Úrsula, the most northeastern area of the fire, it is impossible to get personnel due to the orography of the land. “This fire has a dimension never seen before in the Canary Islands since records were kept,” said the president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, this morning.
The councilor has communicated through her Twitter account that the firefighters have tried to break the Aguamansa canal, but that the situation is very complicated, “inaccessible at the moment.” Dávila has asked for a responsible use of water and to follow the information from official bodies.
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Two incidents have been recorded during the day, one of them in Las Lagunetas, where three people have broken the seal to try to carry out containment works without authorization. They have already been identified and a consequent administrative and criminal sanction will be opened for them, Clavijo explained. “This is a very isolated event,” the Canarian president pointed out. At the same time, the Colonel of the Civil Guard has reported that there are several lines of investigation to try to locate the people who are suspected of having caused this fire.
The Territorial Policy Minister, Manuel Miranda, this morning described the situation as complicated and asked the population for maximum collaboration with the security forces. “Hard work is being done to try to get this situation resolved and go in the best possible way. Our first objective is to avoid human losses and that means that in some case we have to get them out of their homes ”, the counselor asserted at a press conference.
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The fire, which continues uncontrolled, already affects 5,000 hectares and occupies a perimeter of 50 kilometers. The fire has spread through the municipalities of 11 towns (Arafo, Candelaria, El Rosario, La Orotava, Santa Úrsula, La Victoria, El Sauzal, La Matanza, Güímar, Tacoronte and Los Realejos) and has burned forest mass, in its most of it in the mount of La Esperanza, the population center of El Rosario, and in the forest crown. The forecast of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) for this Saturday is a day of heat and haze in the Canary Islands, with temperatures that could reach up to 34 degrees. The changing wind could complicate the work of extinction.
For her part, the head of Civil Protection, Montserrat Román, explained that the evacuation began in the La Orotava area as it was the closest to the fire. She also recalled that the population that is going to be evacuated will receive an SMS alert indicating the place where they can take refuge, in the pavilions managed through the Red Cross and the municipalities. Román has asked that the emergency indications of the authorities be followed and has ensured that the evacuations are being carried out in a coordinated manner.
Tonight 226 ground troops have worked plus a hundred security members and 40 logistics. It is expected that this Saturday 19 aerial means will act, with the incorporation of the Kamov helicopter, with a capacity for 4,500 liters of water, and 265 fighters on the ground.
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