It is possible that you might have seen some news articles about forest fires in Tenerife that started on Sunday afternoon.

We want to make it clear that the fires have not and will not affect the coastal tourist areas but are affecting locals in the residential and farming communities high in the hills above the resort areas.

The fire started near a place called Ifonche, but has spread over an area of 2,000 hectares.  There are over 500 professional and volunteer fire fighters working to bring it under control using amongst other things helicopters and hydroplanes to drop water on to the affected areas.

The high temperatures that we are experiencing at the moment together with the very dry landscape due to the minimal rain we have had recently haven’t helped the situation and yesterday, 17th July the fire reached the edge of Vilaflor and the boundaries of the Teide National Park.

There are regular official press releases and the latest one advises that whilst a lot of the area has been stabilised there are still a few areas that have to be brought under control.

Social Media is very useful however there are a lot of stories circulating and comments being made that are just not accurate.  People using, for example Google Translator to find out what the Spanish Press are writing can result in a completely different story being read!  This can bring unnecessary panic to people that are planning on visiting Tenerife in the near future and so wanted to try to clarify things for our guests.

The fire has been devastating to the areas involved and many local people will be affected but despite what you might read or hear in press reports in your own country, the situation is not a threat to tourists.

The only restriction that there is at the moment for visitors to the Islands is that visits to see Teide or the National Park will not be possible.

If you have any questions about your visit to our Flamingo Club resort, please let us know and we will answer you as quickly as possible with ‘on the spot’ and accurate information.

(Photos with permission from Sir Old Golfer Photography)