SPAIN: A wildfire started by high temperatures and strong winds raged in a forest that had already been devastated by fire in August, forcing authorities in Tenerife to evacuate approximately 3,000 people from their houses overnight.
Emergency services announced on Thursday that they had asked the army’s Military Emergency Unit for help, identifying the Wednesday-initiated fire as a high-level emergency.
Social media posts featured images of firefighters battling the blaze, and one of the posts stated that roughly 90 firefighters had been dispatched.
In the northeast of the island’s hilly terrain, far from Tenerife’s main tourist hubs in the southwest, the towns of Santa Ursula and La Orotava are the focal points of the fire. The airports on the island continue to run.
The fire in Tenerife is causing significant smoke pollution, prompting evacuations due to its steep location surrounded by brambles, heather, and pine trees. Despite the situation, progress is being made, and control of the perimeter is expected soon.
The region is equipped with seven helicopters, and the firefighter advises travellers to check flights to ensure they aren’t affected and to continue visiting Tenerife.
The national park that surrounds Spain’s highest peak, Mount Teide, was home to 37,000 acres of woodland when a wildfire broke out in August. The fire lasted for days. The majority of those who were evacuated then went home, numbering in the thousands.
Fernando Clavijo, regional head for the Canary Islands, stated that despite the August fire being contained, embers are still smouldering in the forest. He noted that there is less fuel for the fire, so it shouldn’t escalate. The island is on high alert due to forecasted high temperatures of 39C (102F) on Thursday.
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