For the first time, the Tenerife Cabildo has implemented a smoking ban in natural areas due to the current alert for high temperatures and the increased risk of forest fires, as announced by the president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, via her profile on 'X'.
The smoking ban includes trails, viewpoints (miradors), forest tracks, recreational areas, and camping areas, and is part of the plan to prevent a situation like last year when a fire broke out in August destroying 37,000 acres of forest.
Dávila has urged all residents and visitors of Tenerife to cooperate fully during the alert period, as stated in her announcement. The Cabildo had already prohibited the use of fire (BBQs, camp fires etc) in recreational and outdoor areas from Thursday, July 11th, due to the forest fire risk, but now they have introduced this measure and the recommendation of avoiding going into the island's forestal areas.
Additionally, town halls are supporting this resolution by implementing extraordinary level one measures for forest fire prevention due to the alert issued by the Government of the Canary Islands, which includes sealing off the grills in the recreational areas in forest areas.
Here is the video from the President of the Cabildo (in Spanish) making the announcement and explaining why:
