Pre-alert activated for forest fires in five of the Canary Islands

The General Directorate of Emergencies of the Canary Islands Government has declared a pre-alert situation due to the risk of forest fires in Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro, and additionally, in Gran Canaria, it is activated in areas 400 metres above sea level.

Given the climatological, meteorological, and environmental situation the islands find themselves in, the General Directorate of Emergencies says there is a high risk of forest fires which is very unusual for this time of year and this per-alert puts all the relevant emergency services on alert in case fire breaks out.

Given the drought, which has made the usual period of heaviest precipitation fade into obscurity with less than 20% of usual rainfall, and considering the persistently warm anomalies of recent months, and that no significant changes in weather conditions are expected in the near future, they have declared the Pre-Alert in accordance with section 2.10 of INFOCA (Special Plan for Civil Protection and Emergency Response to Forest Fires of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands).

This declaration may change depending on atmospheric conditions and risk analysis by the competent bodies in Civil Protection of the Government of the Canary Islands in coordination with the affected Island Cabildos.