A devastating fire. In a few days, searing flames burned nearly 8,400 hectares over a perimeter of 70 kilometers in Tenerife, the largest island in the Spanish Canary archipelago off the west coast of Africa.
In total, more than 4% of the total surface of the island has been ravaged by the terrible fire which started on the evening of Tuesday August 15, in the mountainous region of the northeast of the island. For five days, residents and tourists passing through have therefore been trying to organize themselves between sadness, resilience and admiration for the soldiers of the fire.
“We are about thirty kilometers from the front,” says Marylène, who has lived on the small Spanish island for 34 years. “We are sad to see all this natural capital burn, this forest which is magnificent and essential to the island”, she continues with emotion. For the sexagenarian, the situation as such is not new. “Quite regularly, there are fires that take on significant proportions. There are a lot of conifers here, vegetation under the pines and the summer is dry”, she says, remembering the fires of 2007.
“But the current fire is different, because there is little wind, which causes huge columns of smoke to appear. As if this fire had its own climate”, she sums up, pensive. “People who live here have seen forest fires before,” also concedes Virgil Florea, a young man who has lived on the island for several years. “But according to the government, it is the most complicated for 40 years”.
If there is concern, however, the latter has not won over all the inhabitants. “Between the planes, the helicopters and all the firefighters who work on the ground, we have good hope”, assures Marylène. And Virgil makes the same observation. “We see the huge cloud of smoke from Santa Cruz, but we are not afraid, most people are going about their daily business”, details the young man who lives about fifteen kilometers from the fire. Before qualifying: “We are however cautious and look at the sky more often than usual”.
For the Canarians, precaution and attention are indeed essential. “We follow the press conferences of all the competent authorities in the morning and in the evening,” says Marylène, emphasizing the importance of keeping informed. By doing this, the inhabitants fear the future less. And then, “we feel that we can count on the authorities”, she guarantees.
The sexagenarian, who knows the island perfectly, mentions in particular the role of the Guardia Civil. “She goes house by house, the agents knock on people’s houses and talk to them, they also manage the cars, they help the elderly”. La Canarienne also mentions a system that allows civil protection to notify residents directly in the event of an emergency. “We are sent an alert message on our phones, which has already happened in previous fires or during the eruption of the La Palma volcano”.
The Canarians therefore seem, as far as possible, prepared for this type of situation. “In general, we evacuate by neighborhood or by street, so people who live near the fires prepare bags with clothes, medicines and property documents. They expect to be accompanied in gymnasiums or sports centers,” says Marylène. These large facilities are not always useful, however. “Most people go to friends or family,” says Virgil, who says only a few hundred people have made it to “public shelters.” Since the start of the fire, some 12,000 people have been evacuated, reports AFP.
Regarding tourist areas, they are relatively unaffected by fires, especially coastal towns. However, mountain trails like Teide National Park are completely closed to the public. “It is often people who live in very high neighborhoods, on the border between farms and villages” who are affected by fires or evacuations, specifies Marylène. “Here again, people will take care of the herds, the poultry if there is an evacuation. The animals are placed back on the farms of fellow farmers or those of the prefecture,” she explains.
The Canarians are finally resilient. And for good reason, the flames are not the only difficulties to take into account. Air quality has been badly affected in most of the island “due to the smoke generated by the fire”, reported AFP. “The government has also issued a press release to encourage people to wear masks, stay indoors and do very little work outside,” explains Virgil, who explains that he feels this poor quality. For Marylène, it makes sense: “The first rule is common sense,” she says. “We must not take photos too close or prevent the firefighters from passing”.
Everyone therefore keeps an eye open in the direction of the fires as life goes on. For Marylène, it is important to keep calm. “The inhabitants are therefore quite calm but sad,” she sums up in a calm voice.
