The removal of vehicles from the slopes of Famara is completed

"With this action, the Cabildo of Lanzarote fulfills its duty to conserve this valuable protected natural space from an environmental and landscape point of view, without a doubt the refuge of the endemic flora of Lanzarote," says Dolores Corujo

December 15 2022 (11:32 WET)
Updated in December 15 2022 (15:43 WET)
Helicopter extracting vehicles from the slopes of Famara

Firefighters from the Security and Emergency Consortium and a helicopter from the company Eliance Helicopter Global Services, from the Pyrenees, have started early this Thursday to extract the remains of the 15 vehicles that fell in the Risco de Famara and the Barranco de Temisa. The president of the Cabildo, Dolores Corujo, the president of the Emergency Consortium, Marcos Bergaz, and the Minister of the Environment, Nicolás Saavedra, have traveled to the site.

Since last Friday, members of the Fire Department have descended to the points where the vehicles are located to cut and stack them, generating 17 bags with car waste. About 20 firefighters have participated in the operation, spread over several days, with an average of eight personnel per day.

The resulting material has been hoisted and removed with the collaboration of the helicopter, which will transfer them to the collection point in the esplanade located next to the hermitage of Las Nieves. A company specialized in the removal of vehicles will take care of this material

"With this action, the Cabildo of Lanzarote fulfills its duty to conserve this valuable protected natural space from an environmental and landscape point of view, without a doubt the refuge of the endemic flora of Lanzarote. It is the first time that this action has been carried out in Lanzarote," says the president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, María Dolores Corujo, who emphasizes that it is "the first time that an action of these characteristics has been carried out on the island."


 

"Incomprehensible neglect"

"With the removal of these remains, we put an end to a situation of deterioration of the environment that has been maintained for too many years due to the incomprehensible neglect of the Public administrations," says the president.

"In addition to the landscape and environmental improvement, the removal of these vehicles will reduce the difficulties and risks associated with interventions in the area by the Security and Emergency forces, since their remains sometimes hinder the rescue work that occurs in the area," says María Dolores Corujo.

The president took the opportunity to thank the effort and work done by the entire team of firefighters who "voluntarily and demonstrating their generosity and civic-mindedness, have proceeded to the work in their free time"

 

"An intense previous work"
 

The Minister of the Environment of the Cabildo, Nicolás Saavedra, has emphasized that in the Risco de Famara "the majority of the insular botanical endemisms are found, so this massif stands as the most important biogenetic nucleus of the island and one of the most prominent in the Canary archipelago."
 

For his part, the Minister of the Security and Emergency Consortium, Marcos Bergaz, has stated: "The complexity of the operation has required the presence of a helicopter specialized in the transport of materials and has involved intense previous work, for several days, by the fire department, to whom I thank for their work."

 

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