The fire in Tenerife already affects 5,000 hectares despite the fact that the works are developing positively

New evacuations take place and the fire exceeds Cho Marcial

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Aug. 18 (EUROPA PRESS) -

The forest fire that started on the night of August 15 on Mount Arafo, on the island of Tenerife, has already affected some 5,000 hectares despite the fact that the work against the flames during the day of this Friday has been carried out in a positive.

In this way, the fire continues out of control and the perimeter it covers is about 50 kilometers in the municipalities of Arafo, Candelaria, El Rosario, La Orotava, Santa Úrsula, La Victoria, El Sauzal, Tacoronte, La Matanza and Guímar, affecting the forest mass (pine forest), mostly in the mount of La Esperanza and the forest crown.

By municipalities, Arafo has an affectation of 44% of the fire; Candlemas of 35%; Santa Úrsula of 20%; The Victory of Acentejo of 15%; The Rosary of 13%; El Sauzal 7%; La Orotava 5%; The Slaughter of 4%; and Tacoronte of 1%, pending to see what is the affectation in the municipality of Güímar.

This was revealed this Friday during the press conference at 10:00 p.m. to update the information on the evolution of the fire.

The President of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has placed special emphasis on the magnificent work carried out during the day. "The hours are accumulating, the fatigue... and people continue to give their all," he asserted.

He explained here that the discordant note of the day is that the fire has exceeded the Cho Marcial peak, which is why, as a precaution and for not knowing how the fire can evolve at night, it has been decided to proceed with new evacuations.

Specifically, El Pelado, Las Dehesas and Las Coloradas have been evicted, in the municipality of Güímar, and the Izaña area; while some affected buildings have been detected in La Lagunetas.

Since last Tuesday, the fire has forced the preventive evacuation of a total of 4,509 residents and the confinement of 3,820 people, although this Friday it was decided to lift the confinement in La Esperanza. For its part, in the shelters there are about 113 people.

The president of the Cabildo, Rosa Dávila, has indicated that in relation to the rupture of the Aguamansa Canal, the emergency department carried out by the Government of the Canary Islands has reported on the situation, requesting the population, especially the municipalities del Norte and some towns in La Laguna and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a responsible consumption of water.

The owners of the canal, the Tenerife Fire Consortium team and technicians from the Tenerife Island Water Council have tried to repair the break, but the fire has prevented access to the hydraulic infrastructure. However, in the afternoon it was possible to access it and if conditions allow it tomorrow morning, the breakage would be fixed.

In this way, flows are being diverted from a point prior to the rupture to the North Canal --through the so-called Bajante de la Morra--, which allows it to be distributed among the affected municipalities.

Meanwhile, at night some 226 troops will continue to work by land, to which must be added another 100 in terms of security and 40 in terms of logistics. During the day tomorrow, 265 troops will work in the extinction work by land.

For this Saturday there will be 19 air resources that will fight against the flames --17 for intervention and two for coordination-- and this Friday the seaplanes have carried out 81 water discharges.