The fire in Tenerife approaches the Teide National Park

Personnel from the Brifor operation carry out perimeter work on hot spots in the El Lagar area, in the municipality of La Guancha, in the fire that has affected Tenerife since Thursday.Ramón de la Rocha (EFE)

The fire that broke out this Friday morning in the municipality of Los Realejos, in the north of the island of Tenerife, has already burned 500 hectares of wooded area and has caused the preventive eviction this Thursday of 31 people, according to data of the Ministry of Public Administrations, Justice and Security of the Government of the Canary Islands.

The affected area has a perimeter of 11 kilometers and also affects two other municipalities: San Juan de la Rambla and La Guancha.

The aspect that most worries those responsible for the emergency is the left flank, which is heading towards the Teide National Park, the largest and oldest of the national parks on the islands, although it is not feared that it will reach populated areas.

The fire “is taking some important races towards the mountain”, Montserrat Román has sentenced in this regard in statements to the Canarian Public Television.

In addition to the ecological value of the environment, the orography of this land makes it "more difficult to attack the fire".

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What is the probability that a forest fire will spread?

Weather conditions are forecast to improve tonight, with lower temperatures and higher relative humidity.

The wooded area of ​​the Canary Islands amounts to almost 137,000 hectares, according to the Fourth National Forest Inventory of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge.

The Minister of Public Administrations, Justice and Security, Julio Pérez, explained that it is necessary to take advantage of this improvement in weather, which if the forecast is met will last until noon on Saturday, to control the fire, since it is expected that from Then temperatures rise again.

The Police are currently investigating the causes of the fire, which occurred in an area where two weeks ago there was another attack, as confirmed this Friday by the president of the Canary Islands, Ángel Víctor Torres.

The head of the autonomous Executive stressed that it is not yet known whether it has been intentional or not, and has asked in this regard that specialists be allowed to work.

The firefighting device is made up of 170 ground personnel who will be supported by the security, health and logistics operation to exceed 250 professionals.

The efforts of the emergency teams have focused on the right flank of the fire, assured Montserrat Román, head of Civil Protection and Emergency Attention of the Government of the Canary Islands.

The Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, visited the Advanced Command Post in San Juan de la Rambla this Friday afternoon to see "first-hand" the evolution of the emergency.

Montero has made a "recognition" to the work of the firefighting and emergency device and also of the Red Cross, which has organized a camp in the municipal pavilion in case more evacuations have to be undertaken.