Tenerife wildfire that has forced thousands to flee their homes 'is out of control'
18 August 2023, 08:10 | Updated: 18 August 2023, 08:14
A wildfire that has torn through the Spanish island of Tenerife, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes, is "out of control," local authorities have said.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The fire has cut a swathe through more than 6,000 acres of land on the Canary Island, which an official said was "on a scale not seen... since records began".
The blaze has not hit any of the 785-square mile island's tourist resorts yet - but more than 7,500 people have been evacuated, out of the island's population of about 978,000.
The 20 mile-wide fire, which broke out on Tuesday, is within 12 miles of the island's capital of Santa Cruz, which has a population of 204,000.
Some 370 firefighters are battling the blaze, while the army and water-bombing planes have also been deployed to try to contain any further spread.
Fernando Clavijo, the regional president of the Canaries, said: "The night has been very tough.
"This is probably the most complicated blaze we’ve had on the Canary Islands – if not ever, at least in the past 40 years," he told a press conference.
Mr Clavijo said people had been evacuated because "burning ash and wind are causing small fires in different areas."
He said the fire was currently "out of control".
Vicky Palma, a technical adviser to the Tenerife authorities, said the blaze was "a fire on a scale not seen in the Canaries since records began".
One resident of the island said: "When you go outside you start suffocating. It’s as if you have something stuck in your throat."
Tenerife was very hot over the weekend, with temperatures in the mid-30 degrees, which is above average for this time of year.
As well as the tourist resorts, the island's airports are also said to be unaffected by the blaze as of Friday morning.
The Tenerife fire comes after La Palma in July, which also forced the evacuation of thousands of residents.
Other wildfires have broken out across the Mediterranean this summer, including on three Greek islands, Sicily, France and Portugal.
It has been especially hot summer in southern Europe, with temperatures reaching the mid-40s on occasion and regularly reaching the mid-30s.
Deadly wildfires have also ripped through the Hawaiian island of Maui.
