Fire on the island of Tenerife: firefighters see "the end of the tunnel"

Europe 1 with AFP // Photo credits: CESAR MANSO / AFP 16:40 p.m., August 22, 2023

Spanish firefighters see the end of their fight against the flames that have ravaged the tourist island of Tenerife for a week and that have forced thousands of people to flee, said Tuesday, August 22, the local authorities. The fire "is not over, but we are starting to see the end of the tunnel," the archipelago's emergency chief, Manuel Miranda, told a news conference in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the island's capital.

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Falling temperatures

Falling overnight temperatures and weaker winds have helped firefighters, local authorities said, as the fire has already reduced nearly 15,000 hectares to ashes. About 600 firefighters and soldiers, with the reinforcement of 22 Canadairs, are at work to try to contain the fire that broke out on August 15 in a hilly area northeast of this Canary island, off the northwest coast of Africa.

The fire, which now covers a perimeter of about 88 kilometers, has led to the evacuation of more than 12,000 people, including some residents of the villages of Arafo and Candelaria who have already been allowed to return home. More people will soon be able to return to their homes, said Tenerife's head of local government, Rosa Davila. "We are looking to get back to normal, little by little," she told a news conference.

During a visit to Tenerife on Monday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said a state of natural disaster would be declared in the affected areas, which will provide emergency subsidies and other aid measures to the population. The fire broke out after a heat wave hit the archipelago, drying out many places. The Canary Islands generally experience spring temperatures all year round, but temperatures have recently climbed to 40°C.

500 fires in Spain in 2022

In 2022, 300,000 hectares were destroyed by more than 500 fires in Spain, a record in Europe, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis). Since the beginning of the current year, the country has recorded 340 fires that have ravaged nearly 76,000 hectares, according to Effis. According to experts, extreme weather events have intensified recently due to global warming, which is responsible for more frequent, longer and more intense heat waves and droughts. Spain, which has been experiencing its fourth heat wave of the summer since Sunday, is on the front line in Europe in the face of global warming and its consequences.