A fire that broke out in mountain scrubland in Tenerife yesterday and affected 60 hectares of land is said to be under control following the summer’s first big mobilisation of firefighting teams.
Around fifty homes in remote upland parts of Santiago del Teide were evacuated as a precaution after the outbreak in neighbouring El Tanque began to spread, triggering fears of a repeat of the major blaze suffered in the same area in 2007, which destroyed 15,000 hectares of woodland and ended up affecting ten municipalities in Tenerife.
A local sports hall was quickly made ready to accommodate the evacuees overnight and anxious locals looked on from a safe distance as the flames made their way across the scrubland and small areas of pine forest towards their village.
However, despite conditions which could have proved dangerous (particularly temperatures in the mid-30s), the fire was contained relatively quickly by the 75 members of firefighting teams permanently deployed in Tenerife during the summer to combat blazes.
The firefighters were supported by helicopters which dowsed the flames with giant buckets of water from the air.
The relieved homeowners were allowed back into the houses late last night after the island authorities declared that the emergency was over. Teams remain in place today to further dampen the land affected and establish a solid firebreak around the area to prevent a spread in the unlikely event that the flames reignite.
Although the cause of the outbreak has not yet been established, the authorities have reminded the public that activities such as barbecues and stubble burning in upland parts of Tenerife continue to be banned until the current conditions ease.
