Bonfires of San Juan and San Pedro banned due to extreme fire risk
The Island Council of Tenerife (Cabildo de Tenerife) has issued a general and permanent ban on recreational fires.
In recent years, the number and intensity of wildfires on the island has increased, not only during the summer season, but also before and after it.As a result, the island faces high or extreme fire risk well beyond summer.
The bonfires of San Juan and San Pedro, celebrated respectively on 23 and 28 June, have often caused fires to break out, endangering nearby forests and requiring the intervention of the emergency services, such as the Fire Brigade and BRIFOR (Tenerife Island Council Forest Brigade).
The Island Council of Tenerife has therefore issued a resolution permanently banning bonfires during the festivities of San Juan and San Pedro in accordance with the following decrees:
- Decree 111/2002 and article 48 of Law 43/2003 on Forestry, which establish that in situations of very high or extreme risk of forest fires, lighting fires in open spaces must be prohibited.
- Decree 46/2001, which establishes that authorisation to carry out recreational activities, such as the bonfires of San Juan, may be refused due to the risk involved.
The resolution places a general and permanent ban on all recreational use of fire (bonfires of San Juan and San Pedro) in ZONE A of the Local Fire Plan during the following dates:
- From 12 noon on 23 June until 3 pm on 24 June every year.
- From 12 noon on 28 June until 3 pm on 29 June every year.
This forest fire risk zone is defined in Annex II of the Area Instruction of 14 October 2019 (“Anexo II de la Instrucción de Área”), which regulates the procedure for the extraordinary activation of preventive measures for forest fires in Tenerife.
We at Tenerife ON encourage you to respect this resolution and enjoy the festivities of San Juan and San Pedro without endangering the natural environments of the island.
