The fire in La Palma continues to be active on the island, although the extinguishing efforts mean that its progress is increasingly controlled. More than 4,000 people were evicted from their homes in the municipalities of Tijarafe and Puntagorda. In the last hours, hundreds of troops have worked tirelessly to stop the advance of the flames and have allowed the vast majority of evacuees to return to their homes.
First, the people who live closest to the coast have been the first to return to their homes. There are more than 100 people who still hope to be able to return to their homes. During these two days, most of the evacuees have been received by shelters set up and managed by the Red Cross. Many of them have already gone through a situation similar to that which occurred due to the eruption of the volcano in 2021.
At dawn on Saturday the forest fire was declared in La Palma. So far the fire has devastated nearly 3,600 hectares, although it seems that its progress has slowed down in the last few hours. The authorities warn, however, that the fire is not yet under control and that they are working to prevent the flames from reaching the area of the Caldera National Park. While at first the priority was populated areas, the agents are concentrating their efforts on saving the Park.
These hours are key to keeping the fire under control. There are about 400 ground troops and 86 members of the Military Emergency Unit who are working to extinguish the fire on La Palma. Nine helicopters and two seaplanes have also been used, which have already dropped nearly 152,000 liters of water. The weather forecast indicates that the strong gusts of wind that have complicated work last night will slow down today.
While the extinction work continues, the Civil Guard continues to investigate the origin of the fire. One of the possible hypotheses is that the fire could have originated from the burning of a garbage container at a night party. The inhabitants of the Island, however, were warned of the danger of setting fire due to high temperatures.
