Thousands evacuated from homes in Tenerife as wildfires sweep the island

5 October 2023, 11:43

Three thousand people have been rushed to safety from their homes in Tenerife as a wildfire sweeps across the island.

The fire, which is caused by winds and high temperatures, is burning through a forest already damaged by a blaze in August.

The wildfire, which is centred around the towns of Santa Ursula and La Orotava, started on Wednesday. Around 30 acres has been affected so far.

Emergency services on the Spanish island said they had called in the army for help.

Some 12o firefighters and soldiers were trying to put out the fire as of Thursday morning, with the emergency workers pictured working hard at the scene.

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Both of the island's airports were still operational as of Thursday morning.

The August fire burned for several days and wiped out about 35,000 acres of woodland and scrubland in the national park around Mount Teide, a volcano and Spain's highest mountain.

Some 12,000 people were forced to leave their homes in the August fire.

The original fire was brought under control, but was never completely put out. Embers were still burning when the blaze reignited this week.

Small fires have continued to break out periodically in the same area due to winds and high temperatures.

The Canary Islands regional leader, Fernando Clavijo, said there was less fuel after the August wildfire, so the current fire "shouldn't get out of hand."

Tenerife residents are currently sweltering in 35C heat, according to the Met Office.

That's considerable above the average, which is somewhere between 20.3C and 26.6C.