Europe

Thousands evacuated as wildfire burns out of control in Tenerife

Thick smoke hampering efforts to extinguish fire on north of Canary Island

Forest fire in the Guimar valley on the Canary Island of Tenerife. Photograph: Desiree Martin/AFP via Getty Images

Nacho Doce and Jessica Jones
Sat Aug 19 2023 - 18:12

Thousands more people were evacuated from their homes on the Spanish island of Tenerife on Saturday as a wildfire raging in the north of the island remained out of control.

The Canary Islands emergency services said more than 26,000 people had been evacuated by Saturday afternoon, a sharp rise from 4,500 on Friday. Some 11 towns are now affected.

The island’s popular tourist areas have so far been unaffected and its two airports have been operating normally.

Fierce flames lit up the sky overnight and on Saturday helicopters were seen dropping water on areas close to homes where smoke was billowing into the air.

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The fire broke out on Wednesday in a mountainous national park around the Mount Teide volcano – Spain’s highest peak – amid hot and dry weather.

More evacuations were ordered on Saturday morning due to worsening weather overnight, including a rise in temperatures and stronger winds, regional leader Fernando Clavijo said at a press conference.

He said thick smoke was hampering efforts to extinguish the fire from the air.

[ Wildfires light up night sky over Tenerife ]

Some 5,000 hectares have been burned so far with a perimeter of 50km.

The fire was at a scale that has never been seen before in the Canary Islands, Tenerife council president Rosa Davila said at reporters. She said the priority was to “protect people’s lives”.

[ Canada’s British Columbia declares state of emergency due to wildfires ]

The blaze has not destroyed any homes so far, she said.

Scorching heat and dry weather this summer have contributed to unusually severe wildfires in Europe, including in Spain’s La Palma island in July.

– Reuters

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023

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