The fire in Tenerife, an island that is part of the Canary Islands archipelago, has covered an area of 5,000 hectares. A total of 4.5 thousand people were evacuated. – After that night, when the direction of the wind changed, my terrace is covered in ashes, there is smoke, we are considering whether to move to another part of the island – said Joanna Zbroja, a Pole living in Tenerife, on TVN24.
A fire broke out in Tenerife on Tuesday. – It has not been possible to control it, it is actually getting worse – Joanna Zbroja, a Pole living in Tenerife, said on Saturday on TVN24. She added that the fire was moving towards the city of La Orotava, and smoke and ashes were heading north of the island towards Puerto de la Cruz. – Five thousand hectares are covered by fire, 4.5 thousand people have been evacuated. More than 250 firefighters are fighting the fire. Mainland Spain has also sent troops, there are already 250 soldiers on the island, she said.
As the Polish woman said, the fire is put out by firefighting planes. – They take on water and unfortunately they have to fly for it all the way to the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, because there are no waves there. There is a long way ahead of the planes before they take up water and return – said Zbroja. She added that it is the same with helicopters, there are 17 of them, but they also have to fly a long way to get water.
A Polish woman living in Tenerife talks about firesTVN24, Reuters
Fire in Tenerife. “My terrace is covered in ashes”
Do fires affect people’s lives? – Until yesterday, it was not felt, except that when driving on the highway you could see the burning valleys of La Orotava – said the Polish woman. – Today, after that night, when the direction of the wind changed, my terrace is covered in ashes, there is smoke, we are considering whether to move to another part of the island – said Joanna Zbroja.
The Polish woman added that there is relative calm. – Despite the fact that it is the biggest fire in 40 years, I feel safe. I trust the authorities, she stressed.
Fire in Tenerife PAP/EPA/Alberto Valdes
Fire in Tenerife PAP/EPA/Alberto Valdes
Reporter 24’s report from the city of Puerto de la Cruz
The editors of Kontakt 24 were contacted by Mr. Bartłomiej, who has been living in Tenerife for almost three years. The man said he lives in the northern part of the city of Puerto de la Cruz.
– At the moment we are watching local TV, because it is from it that you can get the most reliable information about this situation. I have noticed that there is a lot of “fake news” circulating on the Internet – he emphasized. – Today the city is covered with ashes because, unfortunately, the fire has already started coming down from the mountains. The sight of fire is quite terrifying. I know that residents of higher-lying towns already receive text messages with information about the need to evacuate. For now, it’s calm here, tourists are still wandering around the city, drinking coffee, no anxiety is visible. On the other hand, some people started wearing masks, because this ash is really starting to make itself felt, and I’ve already started coughing myself – he described the situation.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA/Alberto Valdes