The fire declared this Thursday between Telde and Valsequillo was stabilised at 19:15 hours. Up to 10 hectares of scrubland have burned in the area of Las Breñas and Cazadores.
The forest fire that broke out on Thursday afternoon in the upper area of Telde, between Las Breñas and Cazadores, was stabilised around 19:15 hours, according to the Cabildo of Gran Canaria. The flames, which spread rapidly driven by the northeast wind, have affected between 8 and 10 hectares of scrubland and pitas, although the moisture still retained by the vegetation helped to slow its advance.
The Environment Councillor of the Cabildo, Raúl García, explained that by that time the advance of the fire had slowed down, but the risk remained high. Therefore, aerial resources continued to carry out water drops until sunset. In total, six helicopters participated in the firefighting efforts: two from the Cabildo, one from the Emergency and Rescue Group of the Government of the Canary Islands, and three from the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.
With the arrival of night, the ground resources of the Operational Unit for Forest Fires (UOFF) of the Cabildo remained on the ground to prevent the flames from reigniting and to extinguish the hot spots. These efforts are expected to continue throughout Friday to declare the fire extinguished.
The deployed operation first managed to control the advance on the slopes where the fire originated and then focused on preventing the flames from spreading through the ravines in the lower part of the affected area. The Forest Fire Investigation Brigade (BIIF) of the Cabildo has already been dispatched to the site to determine the zero point and clarify the causes of the incident.
Initial investigations suggest that the fire started under a power line located between Las Breñas and Cazadores, with several simultaneous hotspots. However, as a road passes nearby, it is not ruled out that the fire may have been intentional. The Telde City Council reported up to seven initial hotspots, while the Cabildo's device counted an even greater number.
The outbreak was declared shortly after 17:00 hours, and the flames quickly gained ground due to the prevailing northeast wind, which forced the closure of the GC-130 road between Cazadores and the summit of the island. The fire spread across wide slopes populated with pitas, scrubland, and shrub species, penetrating into very deep ravines. Smoke was visible from much of the eastern face of Gran Canaria.
The firefighting efforts involved ground and aerial resources from the UOFF, units from the Emergency Consortium of the parks of Telde and San Mateo, and volunteers from Civil Protection of Telde. Local Police of Telde, the Civil Guard, the Canary Police, and the National Police also collaborated. Although monitoring was maintained over nearby areas, evacuations were not necessary, although a preventive operation was dispatched to La Solana and Cazadores, and the population was advised to remain in their homes.
The meteorological conditions at the time of the outbreak favoured the spread: the northeast wind accelerated on the eastern slopes and experienced re-accelerations in the deep ravines. The temperature was around 29 degrees Celsius and the ambient humidity was 21%. Fortunately, the moisture still retained by the vegetation helped to slow the advance of the flames.
The Cabildo of Gran Canaria continues to work on the total extinction of the fire and on investigating its causes. Residents in the area are advised to pay attention to the authorities' instructions and to avoid approaching the affected area while work is ongoing.
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