Tenerife wildfires: How did the fire start and how many people have been evacuated?
WILDFIRES sparked by high temperatures and escalated by high winds ravaged the largest of the Canary Islands this summer.
After Tenerife was rocked by four days of constant burning in August, another fire has flared up in the same area, leading to Spain‘s military being called in to assist with firefighting efforts.
Where are the Tenerife wildfires?
The inferno is located around the towns of Santa Ursula and La Orotava in the northeastern mountains of the island.
So far the blaze, which broke out on Wednesday afternoon, has not encroached upon the main tourist areas in Tenerife’s southwest.
The Canary Islands are located of the southwest coast of Spain and the northwest coast of Africa.
Blanca Perez, Tenerife’s councillor in charge of emergencies, told a local radio station that the seat of the fire “has been stabilised, we are seeing how it evolves to determine if in a few hours residents can return to their homes”.
Firefighters, the military and six helicopters equipped to drop large amounts of water have been fighting the fire.
How did the Tenerfire wildfires start?
Tenerife and the neighbouring island of Gran Canaria have been under a heat alert, with scorching temperatures exceeding 30C (86F) across large parts of the island.
As well as the high temperatures, there have been high winds and high humidity, a combination that often triggers wildfires.
The horrific wildfires that swept across Tenerife in August, which destroyed 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of woodland in the national park surrounding the Mount Teide volcano, were started deliberately, according to cops.
According to local officials, although the previous fires were brought under control, they were never completely extinguished.
Ivan Martin, the director of Tenerife’s emergency services, told local television: “It is the same fire. We have to remember that it was declared under control but not extinguished.”
And the Canary Islands regional leader Fernando Clavijo explained that “there is less fuel (for the fire), so it shouldn’t get out of hand,” referring to the the terrain was already scorched in August.
How many people have been evacuated from Tenerife?
Around 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes so far.
Around 2,400 were forced to vacate their residencies in the town of Santa Ursula, with the other 600 asked to leave their lodgings in La Orotava as a precaution on Wednesday.
One resident said: “I was working and my mother called to say the fire was very close — it was insane.”
Another added: “Now I think that every time there is a dust storm or the temperature is too high I will have to evacuate my house.”