Tenerife Closes Due to Heat and Fire Risk: Restrictions and Road Closures

Due to high temperatures and the threat of forest fires, Tenerife is introducing restrictions on visits to mountainous areas. This was announced on Friday, August 8, by the Canary Islands Emergency Management.

Strict rules come into effect from 2 p.m. on Friday:

• It is forbidden to walk in forests, walk along trails or travel by transport (except in cases where it is necessary to get to one's property).
• It is forbidden to light fires, use anything that could cause sparks, cut down forests and hunt.
• The Chipeque and Chimage campsites and observation decks are closed. All outdoor activities organized by local authorities are cancelled.

The authorities ask people to be careful with anything that could cause a fire: do not throw cigarette butts in the forest, use generators and electrical appliances carefully. This also applies to those who organize private events in dangerous areas.

As temperatures of up to 40 degrees are expected in the coming days, and many people are going to see the Perseid meteor shower at this time, the roads to Teide will be closed from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. from August 11 to 13:

• TF-24 (from the 9th kilometer in La Esperanza to the Arafo intersection)
• TF-21 (from Caldera de Aguamansa to Vilaflor)
• TF-38 (ascent to Chio)

This is done to avoid traffic jams and large numbers of people, which could hinder evacuation in the event of a fire.

In La Laguna, where an orange level of danger has been declared due to the heat, all sports facilities will be closed from Saturday, August 9, until further notice.

The authorities ask people to avoid heavy physical exertion during hot hours, drink enough water and not create situations where rescuers may be needed.