Tenerife: More residents evacuated as wildfire spreads
August 19, 2023
More evacuations have been carried out on the Spanish island of Tenerife as a wildfire burns out of control. Worsening weather conditions have posed a threat to communities on the north of the island.
The blaze has been described as the "most complex" to hit the Canary Islands in some 40 yearsImage: DESIREE MARTIN/AFP/Getty Images
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Residents were evacuated from their homes on the Spanish island of Tenerife on Saturday as changing weather conditions put several communities in the path of a wildfire.
Officials say a combination of hot, dry and windy conditions mean the fire is the most complex the Canary Islands have faced in four decades.
Rising heat and wind, lower moisture
Manuel Miranda, regional councilor for Territorial Policy, Territorial Cohesion and Water, said temperatures had risen overnight, with lower humidity and increased wind.
"The weather has changed, and we have had to evacuate towns in the north of Tenerife, specifically five areas," Miranda told reporters.
Miranda said the evacuations had been needed due to the "danger and proximity of the fire."
He said that authorities had so far "avoided any human loss... and that is our main objective."
Tourist resorts not affected
The wildfire started on Wednesday in a national park near Spain's highest peak, the Mount Teide volcano.
The cause of the blaze, which broke out close to the small town of Arafo, is still unclear.
Fires rage on Tenerife
Firefighters have been working for days to contain the out-of-control wildfires on the Spanish holiday island of Tenerife.
Image: Andres Gutierrez/AA/picture alliance
Working day and night
Firefighters from the EIRIF unit responsible for the Canary Islands are working at full speed to battle the wildfires on the island of Tenerife. Currently, about 2,000 hectares (some 5,000 acres) of forest are on fire or have already burned.
Image: Andres Gutierrez/AA/picture alliance
Escaping the flames
Residents in Candelaria have fled the flames threatening their homes. Due to the thick smoke, the villages of Arrate, Chivisaya, Media Montana, Ajafona and Las Lagunetas have been evacuated as a precaution. The roads leading to the mountains in the island's northeast have been closed.
Image: Andres Gutierrez/AA/picture alliance
Support from the air
Thirteen airplanes and helicopters are in action, as well as around 250 firefighters. The forest fires were preceded by an extreme heat wave, and now the fires are so intense that dropped water often evaporates before it even reaches the flames.
Image: Andres Gutierrez/AA/picture alliance
Saving people and livestock
In addition to people, livestock must be brought to safety — as well as domestic animals, like this young emu. The president of the regional government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, has called the wildfires the "most complicated fire" of the past 40 years and urged firefighters to prevent the blaze from spreading further.
Image: Andres Gutierrez/AA/picture alliance
Round-the-clock effort
Some of the fires are located in difficult-to-access areas. Where firefighters can't go, firefighting helicopters are trying to get a grip on the situation. In July, fierce fires also raged on the neighboring island of La Palma, burning more than 4,500 hectares.
Image: Andres Gutierrez/AA/picture alliance
No rain in the forecast
In persistently high temperatures, the firefighters in their thick protective suits move on to the next mission. Meanwhile, the fire has jumped the ridge and reached the other side of the island — doubling in size within a few hours. Columns of smoke rise high into the sky — and there is no rain in sight.
Image: Andres Gutierrez/AA/picture alliance
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Speaking late on Friday, regional President Fernando Clavijo said some 5,000 hectares (12,000 acres) — equivalent to around 7,000 soccer fields — had been engulfed within a perimeter of 50 kilometers (30 miles). Some 4,000 people have been evacuated.
Until now, the island's most popular tourist areas have not been affected and both of Tenerife's airports were operating as normal.
The fire comes after a heatwave that left swaths of land on the archipelagos tinder dry.
Scientists have warned that such hot spells are likely to become more frequent and intense with global temperatures rising due to climate change.