Villages evacuated as wildfire engulfs 800 hectares of island of Tenerife

EIRIF agents arrive at the island to support the fight against the wildfires at the municipality of Candelaria in Tenerife. Picture:  Andres Gutierrez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Five villages on the Island of Tenerife have been evacuated as wildfires cast a surreal light over the city of Santa Cruz, the island’s capital.

The fire, which started on Tuesday night in the area of ​​Monte de Arafo in the north east, had spread over 800 hectares by Wednesday afternoon. Five villages were evacuated, and access was cut off to the forest surrounding the Mount Teide volcano.

Fears were raised that it could spread to the capital or to the city of Puerto de la Cruz.

But local residents said that the fire has been contained in the mountains and has not spread down the valleys.

Justin O’Connell, a graphic designer originally from Cork, who moved to Santa Cruz this year said that life was continuing as normal in the Spanish city but that floating particles from the fire had turned the light a surreal gold.

When I woke up this morning there was an amber-brown cloud over the city. The sunlight is really surreal in parts of the city.

“But other than that, it’s business as usual, everyone is sitting out on the terraces, it’s a normal day. That might change if the fire moves closer, but at the moment, I don’t think anyone’s that concerned."

Maria José, whose husband owns The Dubliner in Santa Cruz de Tenerife said that residents are not currently scared for their safety as the fire has not spread down from the mountains.

"From Santa Cruz we can hear the seaplanes loading water into the sea. We are not scared but we are sad for the loss of the mountain," Maria José said.

Anna, who owns The Molly Malone Irish bar in Puerto de la Cruz and whose nephew is a firefighter tackling the blaze, said that people are concerned but safety protocols are in place.

The fire has been contained to the peaks of the mountains and has not descended into the valley, she said.

“The ones who have been evacuated have houses up in the very high hills. The fire is in the peaks," she said.

“There have been no casualties. It’s safe. Access to the mountains has been closed so emergency services can get through quickly. It’s a good protocol and people are respecting it.

“It’s organised.

“It’s a little bit windy and that’s the main concern. But there’s not a hurricane wind.

“People are safe. Emergency services seem to be working very well. It’s not over yet but we’re not looking at evacuating the island.

It’s scary to look at but there are not very high winds at the moment that might take it somewhere else.

While the fire has not been a hazard to humans so far, it has been terrible for the local ecosystem, she said.

But the Canarian pine trees in the national park impacted by the fire are sturdy and will regrow in two years, she said.

“It’s terrible for the ecosystem but the pine trees will come back.

“It’s very mountainous so to put a fire out is difficult, it can jump from one rocky bit to another.” The fire brigade have set a large defence line, where all brush and flammable material is cleared to encourage the fire to burn out and counter fires have been lit to discourage it from spreading, she said.

Anna, who asked not to publish her surname, said that a dog shelter was partially evacuated by volunteers in Ravelo, about 40 minutes from Puerto de la Cruz on Wednesday, but the shelter no longer looks like it will be impacted by the fire.

Cork flights to Tenerife leave on Tuesdays and Saturdays and there is presently no indication that they will be impacted.