The forest fire that broke out this Tuesday on the Spanish island of Tenerife continues without control and has already affected 5,000 hectares, with a perimeter of 50 kilometers that covers ten municipalities in the north and south of the island.
The president of the government of the archipelago, Fernando Clavijo, said, at a press conference at the end of the afternoon this Friday, that the fire spread to the upper area of the municipality of Güímar, forcing the evacuation of the population from several nuclei housing.
Clavijo has insisted that, despite the hours that have passed since the start of the fire and its harshness, the spirit of the fire teams “is high”, highlighting “the magnificent work” that is being carried out in the fight against fire.
Earlier, Fernando Clavijo had indicated that although the fire is still out of control, some lines of defense activated in combat work are beginning to give results.
The official also pointed out that the fire is developing as planned, despite having spread to the Chó Marcial area, in the municipality of Güímar.
The authorities are concentrating efforts so that the fire does not advance on that flank.
More than 200 soldiers are involved in the fight against the fire and have been active, above all, in the defense of scattered houses in the areas of Pista del Rayo and La Esperanza and with reconnaissance flights, according to the Spanish Ministry of Defense.
The fire follows a heat wave that has swept across the Canary Islands and left many areas parched, increasing the risk of wildfires.
According to scientists, extreme weather events are intensifying due to global warming, with more frequent and intense heat waves and their more widespread impact expected.
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). More than 71 thousand hectares have already burned in 2023 in this country.
Source: TSF
