A major fire broke out on Wednesday on the Spanish island of Tenerife, in the Canary archipelago. Local authorities indicate that more than 200 firefighters are mobilized.
The flames are gaining ground on the island of Tenerife. A major fire was reported on Wednesday on this Spanish island in the Canary archipelago, in the Atlantic Ocean, Fernando Clavijo Batlle, president of this region, told local television.
The fire started very early on Wednesday and grew in intensity throughout the day. It is now “out of control”, assures this official, who indicates that more than 200 firefighters are mobilized to fight against the fire.
According to initial estimates, the flames covered more than 1,600 hectares, in an area with a perimeter of 22 kilometers.
Preventive evacuations
During the day, the Guardia Civil had published images of the disaster on social networks. This source indicates that the fire broke out between the municipalities of Arafo and Candelaria, in the northeast of the island.
Thirteen planes and helicopters are also mobilized against the fire, indicates Mathieu de Taillac, correspondent for BFMTV in Spain. “Several hamlets have been evacuated as a precaution,” he said.
The Red Cross of the island of Tenerife has been mobilized to receive the evacuees in a gymnasium, indicated the NGO on the social network X, ex-Twitter. According to information from a local television channel (RTVC), 100 people residing in the Candelaria sector were evacuated. Several roads are also closed and the authorities are asking the population not to go into the forests on the island, in order to avoid the start of other fires.
More than 250 firefighters will be mobilized overnight from Wednesday to Thursday to fight the advancing flames. Air resources will also be reinforced from Thursday morning, the authorities announced.
This is not the first time this summer that a fire has hit the archipelago. In mid-July, at least 2,000 people had been evacuated due to an out-of-control forest fire on the island of La Palma. About 4500 hectares of land had been affected and at least twelve houses had been destroyed by the flames.
Source: BFM TV
