Department of Foreign Affairs updates travel advice to Canary Islands

The Department of Foreign Affairs has updated its travel advice for Spain to take account of widespread forest fires in Gran Canaria and Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Travellers to Gran Canaria and Tenerife in the Canary Islands should be aware that there are widespread forest fires in the interior of both islands. Some are still burning out of control. While the situation is changeable; as of 1 August the principal affected regions are:

Tenerife: the middle and north west of the island and a small area in the north east, specifically the municipalities of Los Realejos, Icod de los Vinos, San Juan de la Rambla, Los Silos, La Guancha, Garachico, El Tanque, Buenavista del Norte, Tacoronte, El Sauzal, Santiago del Teide, and Guía de Isora.

Gran Canaria: the south west of the island, specifically the municipalities of El Hoyo, Mogan, San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Tunte.

The main holiday resorts, cities of Santa Cruz Tenerife and Las Palmas Gran Canaria, together with airports on both islands, are unaffected. There are no reports of any Irish casualties.

The Department of Foreign Affairs does not advise against travel to the affected islands but Irish citizens should remain vigilant, should not travel to or near the affected areas and should heed the advice of the authorities and their travel companies while on the islands. Visitors and residents in Tenerife and Gran Canaria concerned with the location of the fires should call the Spanish Emergency Services on telephone 112, which has English speakers.

The Department’s Travel Advice is available at (http://dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=8545).

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1 August 2007

Press Office