The efforts to extinguish the latest forest fire in Tenerife have continued during the night without any major incidents despite the strong gusts of wind in the upper area of Santa Úrsula and La Orotava. According to sources from the emergency services, the night has been "calm" with 94 ground personnel from the forestry brigades and the Military Emergency Unit working to contain the blaze.
It is expected that the nine aerial assets will resume their tasks today (Friday) alongside the ground operation made up of 120 troops on the perimeter of the fire that is now affecting 40 hectares of forest and scrubland.
At 10:00am today, there is a meeting of the fire monitoring steering committee which will discuss, among other things, the situation of the 3,200 people who have been evacuated from their homes, and whether it can be dropped back to a Level 1 emergency.
Although no personal injuries have been reported, unfortunately, a home in Santa Úrsula has been devoured by fire and alternative accommodation is being sought by the authorities for the family who had already been evacuated.
Likewise, La Corujera medical centre has been closed as a precautionary measure, as has the Quiquirá shelter in La Orotava, which housed around thirty elderly people, who are being relocated to other places.
The fire, which affects the upper area of the municipalities of Santa Úrsula and La Orotava, is a reactivation of the forest fire that broke out on August 15th in Tenerife and although it was classed as ‘controlled’ on September 11th, it was still not fully extinguished.
The high temperatures from an unexpected heatwave in the Canary Islands over the last few days, as well as the wind, have led to reactivations of the fire, especially on the northern side of the island.
