The wildfire that broke out in Gran Canaria on Saturday is “contained,” although a large number of firefighters continue to fight the blaze, according to the regional leader of Spain’s Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres.
The fire has razed over 1,500 hectares since Saturday, and forced more than 1,000 local residents to evacuate their homes.
On Tuesday morning, Torres said he was optimistic about the efforts to extinguish the fire. In a message on Twitter, he wrote: “A hard night which has dawned with evidence of the amazing work done by the firefighting forces.”
Around 300 local residents, who have not yet been able to return home, may receive permission to do so in the next hours, Manuel Chica, the spokesperson of the 112 Canarias emergency services, told state television network TVE.
The goal now is to ensure the fire is completely extinguished before a heatwave is forecast to hit the area, which could complicate efforts to put out the blaze.
Although no one has been injured in the fire, the blaze has caused damage to the island’s “natural heritage,” Torres said on Monday.
A 55-year-old man who had been working in the area with a welding machine was arrested on Saturday by the Civil Guard, who suspect that he accidentally started the fire.
Torres said he regretted that the fire had been caused by “human negligence and recklessness.”
Thirteen planes and a helicopter worked on Monday across a five-kilometer front considered “the head of the fire.” In a press release, the regional government said the tourism industry had “not been affected by the fire,” given its distance to the main tourist hubs. No hotel was threatened by the blaze, nor have there been any flight delays, it added.
A smaller, second fire that broke out in Cazadores in the Telde municipality has also been contained. Twenty-five local residents, who were evacuated from the area have been allowed to return home. This fire began in Los Cazadores Hoya de la Perra and quickly advanced to Guayadeque and El Lerete due to the strong winds. According to TVE, the blaze was started by a pyromaniac. Locals who saw what he had done were able to retain the man until the Civil Guard arrived and arrested him.
English version by Melissa Kitson.
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