The aerial means continued late this Sunday afternoon with the work on the flank of the upper area of ??the La Palma forest fire to prevent the progression of the fire towards the Caldera de Taburiente National Park.
The favorable evolution of the fire has led the Government of the Canary Islands to authorize the return to their homes of all the residents of the nuclei located between the route of the LP-1 highway and the coast, which are the majority of the 4,000 initially evicted, because that The area includes the town of Tijarafe and almost the entire municipality of Puntagorda.
The president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has stressed that the fire “is not controlled” and that the area above the highway is still closed, but it is expected that tonight there will be temperature and humidity conditions that will favor its extinction.
The fire, which, according to the latest perimeter, has affected less than 4,000 hectares and destroyed 20 homes, has given a partial respite after the weather conditions changed – the thermometers have dropped almost ten degrees, the humidity has risen above 65% and the gusts of wind have dropped to 18 kilometers per hour.
The Civil Guard suspects that the fire started in a container in a recreational area of ??El Fayal, in Puntagorda. The mayor of the municipality, Vicente Rodríguez, does not rule out that it could be due to “recklessness”, although the time and area where the outbreak occurred is “strange” to the group of specialists operating in the area.
The firefighting teams made up of more than 550 troops and 11 aerial means -9 helicopters and two seaplanes- have managed to contain the flames on the right flank and keep it away from the houses. The point “of most concern” is the front of the Caldera de Taburiente, although as the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has indicated, “advances slowly” and, for now, the condition is not serious. The risk of this front is that the fire crosses the caldera and ascends towards the municipalities of El Paso, Puntallana, Los Sauces and Barlovento.
