El Paso (La Palma) (EFE).- The east and west flanks of the fire that broke out on Saturday afternoon in Palmita de la Hiedra, within the Caldera de Taburiente National Park, on the island of La Palma, they are controlled, while they fight to stop the fire in the central area.
The Councilor for Security and Emergencies of the Cabildo de La Palma, Nieves Rosa Arroyo, in statements to EFE, has stated that the three helicopters that during the afternoon have been carrying out more than 50 downloads on the fire have withdrawn, and remain at least three checkpoints for night work.
Nieves Rosa Arroyo has explained that it is a ground fire, and the temperature in the area has been decreasing while the humidity has increased.
The fire started around 4:28 p.m. on Saturday at the base of the Cascada de la Defondada and, although the temperature has not been high, the biggest problem for the firefighting teams has been the orography of the land.
The president of the Cabildo de La Palma, Mariano Hernández Zapata, has indicated on his social networks that the situation at night invites “optimism”, and from the island corporation it has been reported that this forest fire remains at level 1 .
The complex orography of the land in which the outbreak of fire has occurred has led to the objective of the firefighting teams being to stop it by air.
The control tasks involve members of the Environment Service of the Cabildo de La Palma, Intervention and Reinforcement Teams in Forest Fires (EIRIF) of La Palma and La Gomera, personnel from the national park and the MI-51 and MI-61 helicopters of the Government of the Canary Islands.
Due to this outbreak of fire, the trails in the Caldera de Taburiente National Park, the cresting trail between El Pilar and El Time, and the trails around Pico Bejenado have been closed. EFE