Reacción a "Reactions: the wildfire in Tenerife forces thousands of people to evacuate although they manage to stabilize it in some points"

Why is the fire so virulent?

“In summer the Canary Islands are affected by the trade winds that carry a lot of humidity and relatively low temperatures with a NE wind parallel to the Moroccan coast. This produces stagnant clouds and some horizontal precipitation in the mountains of the islands with higher relief at elevations 600-1,500 m. Above that altitude, which is not fixed and oscillates, the counter-trade trade that comes from the SW occurs, it is very hot and dry. Up to 2,300 m (elevation of the plain of Las Cañadas) the conditions are conducive to the Canarian pine with no other tree than a Juniperus (juniper) that resists this extreme climate. The summer is long and that area has been repopulated extensively since 1900, with which it has a lot of continuous forest mass and of a certain age with a lot of fuel available. Previously many of these areas were cultivated”.

How do these types of fires evolve?

"Not very different from those that affect natural or repopulated pine forests with high horizontal continuity on the Peninsula."

Would we be facing a megafire or sixth generation fire?

"From what is seen in the photos, yes, but you have to analyze the information from satellite images and atmospheric observation."

Can something more be done apart from what the extinction teams are already doing?

"Not directly. Previously yes: road network to gain access, clearing and pruning, prescribed burning. In Gran Canaria, which is much drier, the fire two weeks ago stopped on some 100 hectares thanks to the fact that it reached areas where forest management had been consistently practiced. In ravines, favor vegetation [and] less fuel. Where it is agronomically viable and of interest for fire prevention, recover crops such as vines to generate green barriers”.