Thousands of people have been evacuated as the worst wildfires in decades ravage Tenerife. Officials have branded the fires spreading quickly across the island as “the worst in 40 years.” As the uncontainable fires rage, hot ash pours into the sea, turning parts of the ocean black. Footage from a beach in Candelaria shows a thick line of ash stretching across the water.
The fire broke out in a mountainous national park on the island of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, amid hot and dry weather. It has extended 41 km and prompted authorities to evacuate more than 3,000 people during the day. It has burnt through 2,600 hectares (6,425 acres).
More than 250 firefighters -backed by emergency crews and 17 aircraft- are working to contain the fire. After weeks of blazing heat, the fires have spread rapidly in the mountainous area around the Teide volcano, Spain’s highest peak. The fires have ripped through woodland and the slopes of the mountains, in steep ravines and at altitudes up to 2,000m.
The fires have triggered a state of emergency in the region and have prompted messages of solidarity from international sources. The head of the emergency services on the island has requested help from the central government and other regions.
It has been a tough time for the island, a popular tourist destination. The blazes are spreading faster than ever, as the drought has made much of the island bone dry.
Hot sand and volcanic ash are being carried by wind and are fuelling new fires. As a result, the fires have expanded in size rapidly and are now moving toward popular tourist resorts like Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz.
In the north of the island, a flurry of fires has swept through mountain villages, forcing residents to evacuate their homes. Images and videos posted online show flames coming close to houses in small communities. The area is hard to reach, with the fire raging over steep ravines in the island’s mountainous northeast. The villages of Arrate, Chivisaya, Media Montana, Ajafona, and Las Lagunetas have been evacuated as a precaution.
The emergency services warn that temperatures will rise on the island over the weekend, and a change in winds from the early hours of Saturday morning could push the fire westwards from the island’s north. However, there are no immediate reports of disruption to arrivals or departures at the two airports in Tenerife, which usually operate. The Spanish airline EasyJet said it had not received any notifications of delays or cancellations to flights to and from the island. Several European airlines, including Ryanair, Jet2, and Wizz Air, have yet to issue any notices of flight disruption to travelers to or from the island.
