The fire has devastated almost 15,000 hectares in Tenerife: half of its forestry and 7% of the total surface of the island. An uncontrolled blaze started the fires on 15 August night, between the municipalities of Arafo and Candelaria.

So far, twenty towns have been affected by the blaze. Over 7,000 people have had to evacuate their homes or confine themselves to makeshift shelters in sports centres and other facilities.

Últimos datos #IFArafoCandelaria
La prioridad son las personas y sus bienes. El objetivo es que el incendio se salde con los menos daños posibles.
ℹ Van ya 5 días de incendio con más de 11.612 hectáreas afectadas y 84 kilómetros de perímetro. pic.twitter.com/qXsW6varIR

— Bomberos de Tenerife (@BomberosTf) August 20, 2023

Although the president of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has assured that “the worst is over”, he has also recognised that several days of work will still be needed to bring the fires under control. The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, declared the island of Tenerife a disaster area.

The fire was “arson”, has said the Canary Islands government, based on investigations by the Guardia Civil (the police body in charge of these incidents), although the police body later pointed out that it is still too early to draw such a conclusion.

The Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC, the national centre for scientific investigations) expressed concern about the potential loss of endemic species of flora and insects.

Frustration, resignation, sadness

Spanish news website Protestante Digital has contacted several leaders of the evangelical community in Tenerife and they all expressed similar feelings.

The pastor of the First Baptist Church of Tenerife and secretary general of the Evangelical Council of the Canary Islands, Samuel Amador, spoke of “frustration” and the impotence of not being able to react to “such terrible devastation”.

“The Canary Islanders love their land, they have great respect for the native vegetation, each island has something that makes it special. And on Tenerife they are destroying what makes it special”, he said.

Philippe Chevalley, a pastor and former member of the board of the Evangelical Council, assured that they live the situation with “a lot of resignation and sadness”. “We are all sad even without being directly affected [...] What is being burnt is in some way everyone's heritage”, he told Protestante Digital.

The pastor of the Evangelical Christian Church of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and president of the NGO Asociación Kairós, Benjamín Barba, lamented “the negligence of the institutions in the conservation of the forests” and expressed “indignation for those who have caused the fire”. “The fire is mainly in a wooded area. There are people who have livestock that have been moved, fields of crops affected and people evacuated for safety”.

No damage to church facilities, for now

So far, none of the evangelical leaders in the area are aware of any church facilities or related entities being affected by the blaze. “We are concerned about a nearby camp site but have no news at the moment”, said Chevalley.

They do know, says Amador, that “many brothers and sisters from the churches have had to be evacuated from their homes because of their proximity to the fire”. “Each church is carrying out functions of reception and assistance to those who need it near the areas most affected by the fire”, he added.

Prayer while awaiting official indications

The first reactions of the evangelical community on the island to the fire are, above all, prayer because, said Chevalley, “it is still too early to know the needs that will result from this tragedy”.

Beyond the emergency response, “churches are currently being encouraged to mobilise in prayer and supplication to our God for his perfect will”, explained Amador. “We ask our brothers and sisters on the Spanish peninsula to join us in prayer so that this catastrophe can be stopped as soon as possible, and when it is over we must continue to pray for the recovery of the lost flora and fauna”, he added.

According to Barba, the Cabildo of Tenerife has already called his church to help and they are waiting to finalise the details of the tasks assigned. “In the meantime, God’s people are doing their part: crying out to God to take control and bring this fire to an end soon”, he said. “We also pray for wisdom for the technicians and leaders who are in charge of extinguishing the fire, that they will make the right decisions at all times”.

“It is up to us to work for recovery”

Faced with the succession of messages from the institutions in response to the fire, evangelical Christians on the island also develop a reflection that applies their faith to the circumstances in the territory. “God is the Creator of the universe and loves his creation”, said Barba. “He has promised a new heaven and earth, where there will be no suffering. In the meantime, it is up to us to work for the recovery of these burned forests”.

Chevalley noted that tragedies like this “cause great pain, but they also make people reflect and look to heaven. It is time for Christians to proclaim the good news of Jesus. I ask God to give us wisdom to speak appropriately at this particular time”, he added.

Amador alluded to the arsonists who are believed to have caused the fire. “Our prayer is none other than that God will turn hearts of stone into hearts of flesh so that they will know Him, the one true God”, he said.