Héctor Gómez, the Spanish Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, has announced that the state is providing two seaplanes to fight a forest fire in Puntagorda, La Palma, in addition to the 10 helicopters deployed by the Canarian authorities. The Military Emergency Unit (UME) has also been dispatched as part of the state’s deployment.
Gómez visited the Advanced Command Post to coordinate with the Government of the Canary Islands, the Cabildo de La Palma, and the Puntagorda town hall. He has been in contact with Pedro Sánchez, the President of the Government, as well as other relevant ministers and officials to coordinate the firefighting efforts. Over 4500 hectares of land have been affected, and twelve homes have been evacuated along with 2000 people. Gómez emphasised the importance of institutional coordination and stated that the government will provide all necessary resources to help stop the fire and minimise further damage.
The airport of Santa Cruz de La Palma (SPC) has been affected by the smoke and some incoming flights had to circle before being able to land. Only one Vueling flight from Bilbao (VY3286, operated by Airbus A320 reg. EC-MBS) diverted to Tenerife South, but returned to SPC one hour later. Departing flights also suffered delays of up to two hours.