Thousands of residents were left without electricity yesterday evening (Thursday) after a piece of electricity network equipment that supplies power to homes caught fire in Guargacho, South Tenerife. The incident also forced the temporary closure of the local medical centre, with patients advised to use the health centre in Las Chafiras instead.

The fire broke out shortly after 7.30pm on Calle Camilo José Cela, in the part of Guargacho that falls within the municipality of Arona. The town itself is shared between Arona and San Miguel de Abona.

Emergency services, including firefighters from Las Chafiras, Local Police officers from Arona and Guardia Civil officers, attended the area. However, firefighters were unable to tackle the blaze until electricity company engineers disconnected the power supply and confirmed it was safe to begin.

The fire completely destroyed the electrical equipment, cutting electricity to thousands of homes in the lower part of Guargacho. Residents living in the upper area of the town were not affected and continued to have power throughout the incident.

San Miguel de Abona Council confirmed that the Guargacho medical centre remains temporarily closed because of the power outage. Anyone needing urgent medical attention has been asked to attend the health centre in Las Chafiras until normal service resumes.

Work is now underway to install a new power transformer and electrical equipment to restore electricity to affected homes as quickly as possible. According to local reports, the fire continued burning until after 11.30pm, with several nearby streets closed while emergency crews dealt with the incident.

Officials believe insulating oil inside the transformer also caught fire, contributing to the intensity of the blaze. The cause of the incident has not yet been confirmed.