Is it safe to go to Gran Canaria? Locations of wildfires explained
GRAN CANARIA is the latest European region to be hit by wildfires.
The Canary island, which is part of Spain, has seen fires spread across the Tejeda area, forcing hundreds of villagers to be evacuated from their homes.
Is it safe to travel to Gran Canaria?
The latest Gran Canaria wildfires have not reached any tourist areas and no hotels have been affected.
No travel restrictions have been put in place for holidaymakers visiting the island, and there have been no communications to suggest it is unsafe to travel there.
Wildfires are not uncommon in Gran Canaria and police are reportedly investigating a man they believe may have started the blaze in Tejeda.
Helicopters have been deployed to control the blazes, with authorities stating they are confident they can manage the spread.
While there may be no safety concerns about travelling to Gran Canaria due to the fires, the UK government has shared travel advice in regards to the ongoing heatwave in Spain.
The Foreign Office advice urges those travelling to Spain to:
- Take care when visiting or driving through woodland areas in case of forest fires
- Make sure any cigarette ends are properly extinguished
- Not light barbecues or leave any empty bottles behind
The UK government has also shared NHS advice on how to take care in the heat.
Their tips include having cold food and drinks, and avoiding alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks.
Where are the current wildfires in Europe?
Wildfires have struck in Greece, Italy, Turkey and Spain as recent soaring temperatures have created tinderbox conditions in much of southern Europe.
In Greece, more than 19,000 locals and tourists have been rescued from the island from Rhodes after the area was severely impacted by fires.
A state of emergency was declared in the region – and Greek authorities warned six new areas faced “extreme danger” of fresh wildfires.
Greek tourist hotspots Corfu and Evia have also suffered from blazes, while a “level 5” warning of “extreme fire risk” has been issued for Crete.
In Italy, Palermo airport in Sicily was forced to close after fires burned dangerously close to its runways, while in Turkey fires have raged close to resort of Kemer.
Areas of Majorca, Ibiza and Menorca in Spain have also had risk alerts raised to “extreme” and “very high”.