The drop in temperatures on Sunday July 16 on the Spanish island of La Palma, in the Canary archipelago, after a heat wave, favors the progress of firefighters to put out a massive fire. The fire destroyed nearly 5,000 hectares of vegetation in less than thirty-six hours.
The heat detected on site, more than 40 ° C on Friday then 33 ° C on Saturday, when the first flames were observed, slowed down the action of the firefighters mobilized. The president of the regional executive, Ferdando Clavijo, had announced on the night of Saturday to Sunday that the order had been given to evacuate more than 4,000 people from two localities, Tijarafe and Puntagorda.
“The night passed normally, the weather situation helped us a lot, the temperatures dropped considerably”welcomed Sergio Rodriguez, the president of the cabildo of La Palma, the island’s governing body, in a video posted on social media. In Puntagorda, where the fire broke out early Saturday morning, the temperature Sunday at 11 a.m. was 24°C. “As a result, the flames slowed down and the hundred people hard at work in the area managed to contain the perimeter”he added.
Always 400 firefighters mobilized
“We are confident that over the next few hours, days we can put an end to this fire”, declared on public television TVE the minister of industry, trade and tourism of the Spanish government, Héctor Gómez, who visited the site. He estimated at “nearly 5,000 hectares” the burned area.
The fire has now reached the Caldera de Taburiente National Park, according to the Civil Guard. The director of the national park, Miguel Ángel Palomares, however, remains optimistic, assuring that the fire is advancing ” very gently “. Some 400 firefighters are still fighting the fire on the island, with the support of eleven aerial devices, according to the regional government of the Canary Islands.
In 2022, around 500 fires devoured more than 300,000 hectares in Spain, a record in Europe, according to the European Forest Fire Information System – 66,000 hectares have already burned since the start of 2023, which promises to be just as risky for this country hit hard by climate change. The spring there was the hottest on record and the second driest, according to the Spanish meteorological agency.