Fire at Juan Grande waste facility
A fire that broke out at the Juan Grande landfill in San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Gran Canaria) early on Friday afternoon is still under investigation, with the cause yet to be determined. Initial hypotheses from the island’s Cabildo point to the possible presence of flammable material among the pruning waste awaiting shredding, which may have ignited as it passed through the shredding equipment.
In a statement, the island corporation added that the extreme dryness of the plant material, combined with the severe weather conditions recorded during the day, would have subsequently accelerated the rapid spread of the fire.
According to the Canary Islands Emergency and Security Coordination Centre (1-1-2), health services treated two workers at the scene for smoke inhalation.
Emergency response
Following the alert, received shortly before 4pm, a ground intervention unit and two helicopters from the Cabildo of Gran Canaria’s Environment Department were dispatched to the site, where firefighters from the Gran Canaria Emergency Consortium and San Bartolomé de Tirajana fire crews were already in action. Local Police, National Police and a Canary Islands Emergency Service (SUC) team were also present in accordance with safety protocols.
After almost two hours, and following water drops from the aircraft and ground operations by the rest of the team, the fire was brought under control in the outdoor area, although a striking column of smoke, driven by the wind, remained visible.
At approximately 6pm, once the fire had been confined — having also partially affected the bulky waste area — the Environment teams left the site, while Consortium and San Bartolomé de Tirajana firefighters remained at the Ecopark to continue extinguishing the fire, allowing the material in the confined area to burn out.
Ongoing cooling and vigilance
Crews continue with cooling and surveillance work, with no visible flames, according to the Cabildo, but with a significant accumulation of heat, which means vigilance must remain high.
As for material damage, the Cabildo has indicated that the island government’s Environment Department will carry out a more thorough analysis in the coming days. For now, it has been confirmed that the fire significantly affected one pruning shredder and one bulky waste shredder.
The Environment Department has also contacted the municipalities on the southern side of the island to divert lorry traffic to the Ecoparque Norte from tomorrow, while the situation at the southern facility returns to normal.
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