The Kings Felipe and Letizia visited this Tuesday the area affected by the fire in Tenerife and later met with members of the emergency services in Arafo, one of the twelve towns affected.
The day began with a visit to the Chipeque viewpoint in Santa Úrsula, where the kings were received by the president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, and the acting Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, the president of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Astrid Pérez, and the delegate of the Government of the Canary Islands, Anselmo Pestana, and other authorities.
At this point, they were informed by the environment and fire technician of the Tenerife Cabildo, Pedro MartÃnez, about how the fire is progressing in the La Orotava Valley and threatening the population centers of the area, as well as the difficulties in the work of extinction. due to changes in wind direction.
Pedro MartÃnez admitted in media statements that the rains these days are “very good, very good,” but he stressed that there are still “hot spots” and smoke from underground that, in any case, will not create “no problem” because when they leave they will find a wet material, and the fire has no capacity to burn.
“If the conditions remain the same, the outlook is positive. But it is true that this subsoil fire is still active, even though it is slowly cooling down,” he added.
The mayor of La Orotava, Francisco Linares, took advantage of the visit of the kings to demand their intervention so that the Canary Islands have a permanent aerial base against fires, given “the experience” accumulated in the last 63 days.
Linares explained that the fires are increasing; “before every 6 or 7 years, now they happen once a year”, and most recently, “almost 10% of the forest crown has been lost.” But despite the “brutal environmental damage” it caused, “we have been relatively lucky” because only one house was burned, he celebrated.
From the point of view of Chipeque, the delegation headed to the town of Arafo, where the fire started, and there Don Felipe and Doña Letizia met with almost thirty people, including councilors of the Government of the Canary Islands, representatives of the troops of emergency, and affected sectors such as agriculture, beekeeping, restaurants, and hospitality.
After this meeting, which was held in the cultural center of Arafo, the kings approached the town square, filled with neighbors whom they greeted one by one with cheers and praise, and even those who selfie, with many young people asking this.
All this in the middle of a wide security apparatus that accompanies the kings throughout the day, which will continue this afternoon with work in honor of the fire services in the Adán MartÃn auditorium.
