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UPDATE: ‘Substantial Improvement’ As Firefighters Continue Battling Blaze On La Palma In Canary Islands

By Chris King • Updated: 18 Jul 2023 • 18:55

Image of UME firefighters on La Palma.

Image of UME firefighters on La Palma. Credit: Twitter@UMEgob

UPDATE: Tuesday, July 18 at 6:55 pm

A drop in temperatures and the absence of wind have enabled firefighters on la Palma to bring two fronts of the fire under control this Tuesday, July 18.

Speaking at a press conference, Manuel Miranda, the emergency manager for the Canary Islands Government, suggested that a ‘substantial improvement’ could be achieved at some point today.

After the northern and southern perimeters had been controlled, ground crews were now concentrating on preventing the flames from progressing further into the Caldera de Taburiente National Park. Around 200 hectares have already been destroyed in that area, according to 20minutos.es.

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UPDATE: Monday, July 17 at 9:50 pm

Speaking with Antena 3 this Monday, Sergio Rodríguez, the president of the Cabildo de La Palma, confirmed that the extinction work continued.

At least 500 firefighters and 10 aerial resources were involved in combating the flames. ‘It must be made clear that the fire is still active. It has no controlled perimeter’, he explained, according to larazon.es.

Rodríguez pointed out that the Guardia Civil is keeping an investigation open and that the first hypotheses point to ‘a human oversight’, and could have originated from the burning of a rubbish container after a party, he indicated later to Onda Cero, and reported by 20minutos.es.

Many of the 4,000 people evacuated from their homes were allowed to return on Sunday evening.

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UPDATE: Sunday, July 16 at 4 pm

The spread of the fire on the Canary Island of La Palma has resulted in the evacuation of 4,255 residents from the towns of Pinar de Puntagorda and Tijarafe this Sunday, July 15.

A total of 20 buildings – including at least 13 homes – are said to have been burned by the intense flames which have now consumed around 4,675 hectares of land and also entered Garafía, according to 20minutos.es.

Thanks to the change in weather conditions late on Saturday evening, along with the hard work of 100 firefighters, the blaze slowed down somewhat.

However, it had already reached the outskirts of the Caldera de Taburiente National Park, destroying around about 60 hectares.

The source of the fire has still not been verified

Speaking today with the 24 Hours television channel, Héctor Gómez, the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, indicated that there was still no information on the origin of the fire.

he hoped that the fire could be brought under control at some point during the day. ‘With the aerial means, we are going to be able to put a stop to it. Also today we have temperatures that can help’, he stated.

Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands, explained that despite the ‘voracity’ of the fire, it has been possible to contain its perimeter. However, ‘it continues to be out of control, he stressed.

He pointed out that attempts to evacuate homeowners had been met with some resistance and urged the population to pay attention to the security forces and bodies that only wanted to ensure their safety.

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Saturday, July 15 at 4:46 pm

A fire that broke out this morning, Saturday, July 15, on the Canary Island of La Palma has already destroyed around 200 hectares.

The blaze is reported to have started at around 1:05 am in the El Pinar area of ​​​​Puntagorda municipality. Some 500 residents have already been evacuated by the authorities. Around 12 homes were said to be at threat as the fire spread quickly through the dry landscape.

In statements to the media earlier today, Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands, explained that the evacuations were carried out as a precaution and that it was possible that up to 1,000 people could be asked to leave their homes as the day unfolds.

Héctor Gómez, the Minister of Tourism, travelled to the island to observe the fire firsthand. he indicated that it had already affected: ‘more than 200 hectares and about 12 homes’.

Residents of Tijarafe have also been evacuated

Residents of the neighbouring municipality of Tijarafe, have also had to be evicted from their homes due to the proximity of the fire. Located in the upper area of ​​El Pueblo, the flames have already entered the town’s Bellido ravine area.

‘If the weather is with us, it seems that initially throughout today, with the means that are being put on the ground, we could try to control it, but the wind is very changeable. Strong gusts are expected and you have to be very prudent’, stressed Gómez.

Its source has already been traced to Km 76 of the island’s LP-1 motorway, with the magnitude forcing the Government of the Canary Islands to activate Level 2 of its emergency plan.

Level 2 of the emergency plan has been activated

The Special Plan for Civil Protection and Emergency Attention due to Forest Fires in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands (INFOCA) was launched at 6:12 am.

Speaking on the 24-hour channel of TVE, Sergio Rodríguez, the president of the Cabildo de La Palma, regretted what happened.

‘It seems that someone has looked at us badly. Since dawn, some 10 or 15 homes have been affected and they have had to evacuate more than 30 people. In total, some 140 hectares have been affected’, he pointed out.

Homes, crops, scrubland and pine trees with possible affectation to buildings and vehicles, are in the territorial zone of the fire in the municipality of Puntagorda the regional Government reported.

Preventively, the residents of the municipality’s residence for the elderly have been confined to await the evolution of the fire. Initially, the Red Cross set up a facility in Tijarafe for the first assistance of the evacuees.

Subsequently, for greater security, it was decided to transfer it to another location in Los Llanos de Aridane, with a capacity for about 100 residents.

Seven aerial resources are battling the blaze

There are currently seven air resources participating in the extinction work – four of them already operating on the ground. Three of these are GES helicopters along with four from the Government of Spain, including two seaplanes that were requested.

The municipalities of Puntagorda, El Paso, Tijarafe, Los Llanos de Aridane, Breña Baja, Santa Cruz de La Palma, Tazacorte and Garafía also collaborate in the operation to extinguish the blaze.

Early in the morning, members of the Tenerife Fire Brigade, the Red Cross, and the General Corps of the Canary Islands Police travelled by boat to the island to help combat the fire. Another 150 troops from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) are expected to join the extinction tasks.

‘We are at a very important moment to be able to control the flames. We are waiting for the Military Emergency Unit (UME), which will arrive this afternoon. The weather forecasts worry us, since the wind could reach 70 km/h and there is the risk of the fire reaching neighboring municipalities’, indicated the president.

According to Rodríguez, ‘Everything will depend on the wind and the change in the direction of the gusts, although the prevailing wind still does not have the intensity that was expected’, as reported by 20minutos.es.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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