Spain.- The evolution of the fire on the Spanish island of Tenerife has better expectations this Monday, although the open front inside the Teide National Park is worrying, and in the south, where the work against a fire is focused that is already the largest in Spain this year with 13,383 hectares burned.
In the fight against the flames, which have a perimeter of 90 kilometers from a dozen municipalities, 20 aerial means plus two coordination and 610 troops on the ground are working today.
The director of Emergencies of the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, Federico Grillo, stressed that, “with some caution”, the fire can probably be considered stabilized shortly and everything will depend on the evolution throughout this day that, in principle , it is not bad”.
But the regional president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, who admitted that the people evacuated in La Esperanza (El Rosario) and those who remained pending in Arafo will foreseeably be able to return to their homes, invited not to fall into excessive optimism because the fire continues having open fronts and consuming hectares.
In general, the air quality has deteriorated in the affected municipalities, so it is recommended that the entire population, particularly those living in the area from Tacoronte to Los Realejos, wear FPP2 masks, according to the president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Rosa Davila.
The evolution of the fire is favourable, but the situation is complicated in Izaña, within the Teide National Park, and in the highlands of Güímar, explained Dávila, who stressed that the most important thing is to divert the fire from the interface zone and the housing defense strategy.
In the upper part of Güímar, the steepness of the terrain makes the work of the brigades on the ground difficult, so today the air resources headed by the Kamov helicopter and the Air Tractor plane will be concentrated with the aim of perimetering the area throughout the day and that the fire does not spread to more forest mass in Fasnia.
According to the head of the Forest Service of Tenerife, Pedro Martínez, it is an area “compromised” by the evolution towards Fasnia that could have the fire, for which reason the aerial means will distribute water and retardant material so that the advance is “much more slow”.
In the north there is very little activity and during the night it has been possible to work well although there was a very “striking” reactivation in Santa Úrsula, so that front is not “one hundred percent liquidated.”
However, Federico Grillo indicated that if the works are effective throughout the day in the afternoon, the potential area of the perimeter in this area can be “lowered”.
The main concern is the Izaña area, where yesterday the fire entered El Portillo “strongly and with great intensity” and there were “races” of flames that caused compromised moments for the brigades between eleven at night and two in the morning. .
In this area, when the broom burns, very high flames are reached with enormous heat capacity that can reach five times the size of the plant, which, added to the “live fire races” that penetrated Izaña with great speed, forced the troops to retreat. firefighters and the means of the Military Emergency Unit.
