Thousands of people including holidaymakers have been evacuated on the Spanish island of Tenerife as firefighters and soldiers attempt to tackle an “out of control” wildfire.
Around 7,600 on the Canary Island had been either evacuated or confined as the fire continued to spread on Thursday afternoon, said regional president Fernando Clavijo.
He said the fire, located in the north of the island, had a perimeter of nearly 19 miles and has torn through thousands of acres.
“This is probably the most complicated blaze we have had on the Canary Islands, if not ever, at least in the last 40 years,” he told reporters.
He said extreme temperatures in the island added to “specific meteorological conditions” caused by the fire that turned the area into a virtual oven.
The seven-island archipelago is located off the north-west coast of Africa and south-west of mainland Spain.
Spanish authorities said their main goal is to contain the fire and prevent it from reaching more populated areas. The island’s main town, Santa Cruz, is 12 miles from the flames.
But the wildfire is threatening six municipalities and some 3,800 residents in the area have been evacuated.
Thousands others have been confined to their homes due to or to hazardous air quality.
Mr Clavijo said firefighters were working day and night but the fire remained “out of control.”
The blaze, which started on Tuesday night, is centered on a craggy, mountainous area, which is difficult for emergency services to access.
Temperatures in the Canary Islands have peaked at more than 40C in recent days, and are set to rise again on Saturday.
The fire could become Spain’s worst blaze so far this summer, as the country suffers another year of severe drought.
More than 2,000 people were evacuated in a wildfire on the nearby La Palma island last month that affected some 11,000 acres.
Wildfires have burned almost 158,000 acres in Spain in the first seven months of the year, according to Spanish government data - the third-highest figure in the last decade.
Spain accounted for almost 40 per cent of the nearly two million acres burned in the European Union in 2022, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.
Firefighters have this summer extinguished a series of forest fires on the islands of Gran Canaria and La Palma, which form part of the Canary Islands archipelago.
Europe is battling the effects of scorching temperatures reaching worrying levels globally, made worse by climate change. Major wildfires have hit other countries, including Greece, France, and Portugal.
