After seven months of heightened forest fire risk, the Canary Islands have officially ended the fire pre-alert as rain has return to the region. This decision, effective from 8:00pm last night (Monday), comes after one of the most prolonged droughts in the archipelago's recent history, leading to extensive water problems across the islands.
The Canary Islands' Intervention and Reinforcement Teams for Forest Fires (EIRIF) have been essential in controlling the fire risks. During the drought, EIRIF teams managed over 60 incidents with one significant fire since January 2024.
The regional government initially declared a fire pre-alert on March 18th due to extreme weather patterns and rising temperatures, which contributed to severe drought conditions affecting much of the archipelago.
Activated by the Canarian government, the pre-alert covered five of the islands—El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Tenerife, and areas over 400 metres in altitude in Gran Canaria—since early spring. The pre-alert status was applied under the Canary Islands' Special Civil Protection and Emergency Response Plan for Forest Fires, based on meteorological reports and environmental data, especially as vegetation became increasingly dry and susceptible to fire under the prolonged dry spell.
From January through October, authorities reported 61 fire incidents across the islands, including 27 in Tenerife, 18 in Gran Canaria, eight in La Gomera, five in La Palma, and three in El Hierro.
These incidents involved a mix of minor flare-ups and one major fire in Fataga, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria, on August 17th, which was successfully contained within 24 hours.
The efficient response from local and regional firefighting units, along with citizen cooperation, played a critical role in managing the fire risks amid the record-breaking drought, the longest documented in the Canary Islands since 1961.
With the arrival of autumn rains, the fire risk has substantially diminished, leading to the current decision to deactivate the pre-alert.
