Fires in La Gomera and La Palma

[NAH]

....I don't want a bloody train. I want a water plane.

That would make more sense and be of more practical use.

[Janet]

come to that, why weren't the lessons learned in 2007? 

edit: yes, NAH, and one that would benefit all the islands, not just the two biggest ones. 

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

It is too cloudy to be able to see anything going on in La Gomera.  We will try again.

[Janet]

This morning, the La Palma fire is now "stabilized". The La Gomera one, however, is still out of control, but it is hoped that the presence of the water planes and some cooler weather will save the rest of the laurel forest, swathes of which have unique and ancient trees:  it is literally irreplaceable. JA

[Janet]

The La Gomera fire is now said to be "virtually under control", thanks to water planes and, it must be said, the weather over the past couple of days, which has cooled and brought welcome cloud cover. There are, though, fears that fire could be reactivated by the heatwave expected from Friday and the authorities have requested the La Gomera public to take the most extreme care. The greatest firefighting efforts are still being directed at the flank of the fire approaching the main heart of the Garajonay forest.

In La Palma, despite one or two points at which the fire has broken out again, it is still stabilized and boundaried, and the Canarian Government has reduced the alert level from 2 to 1 at the request of the La Palma Cabildo. Firefighting efforts are therefore now back under the island authorities' own control. JA

[Janet]

 The Canarian Government has reduced the La Gomera fire as well to level 1, leaving firefighting now in the hands of the island authorities. The fire is now boundaried, and there are no longer any active fronts, though hotspots remain, as they do, indeed, even in Tenerife a fortnight after our own fire. Let's just hope that this weekend's heatwave doesn't cause any problems to reactivate any of these fires. JA

[Perikles]

Some very sad pictures here. 

[Janet]

Despite official denials over the past few days, it now appears to be true that a 28-year-old Chipude man was arrested several days ago for starting the La Gomera fire: certainly such a man was yesterday remanded in custody by the Courts on the basis of Guardia Civil information. It seems that the man had previous form for starting fires last summer. The police investigation continues. JA

[Janet]

Sadly, with the intense heat, the La Gomera fire has reactivated. The island authorities have now declared it once again to be a Level 2, which puts the firefighting efforts back in the hands of the Canarian Government. JA

[Janet]

The President of the La Gomera Cabildo, Casimiro Curbelo, has begged for further air help to fight the fire which is still raging out of control: if we don't get more planes, he said, the fire will never be put out. Firefighters are working in 38º heat and 50km/h winds, and one of the three active fronts of the fire is now heading for El Cedro, one of the most beautiful and ancient areas of the Garajonay, the ecology of which itself is said to date from the Tertiary period - a minimum of 1.8 million years ago, the only place in Europe with a forest unaffected by ice ages. This is an immense tragedy as it is right now. If the fire reaches El Cedro,  it will be literally incalculable and irreplaceable.