2023-08-17 03:40:09
By the authorities’ own admission, “the scenario is not very positive” in Tenerife. About 250 firefighters battled an “out of control” wildfire on the Spanish island on Wednesday that forced road closures and the evacuation of five villages.
The fire, which broke out on Tuesday evening, raged through a wooded area and ravines in the northeast part of the island, in the Canary archipelago off Africa. “Our goal is for it to stop gaining ground. It was a very difficult day, ”said the head of the regional government, Fernando Clavijo.
Closure of roads leading to the mountains
About 250 firefighters and 13 planes and helicopters, including three aircraft sent from mainland Spain, worked to contain the blaze in a hard-to-reach area. According to Fernando Clavijo, about 1,800 hectares have already been reduced to ashes. The villages of Arrate, Chivisaya, Media Montana, Ajafona and Las Lagunetas were evacuated on Wednesday morning, as a precaution, due to thick smoke.
Local authorities have also closed the roads leading to the mountains in the northeast of the island. “We ask the population to respect all these roadblocks,” said the head of the archipelago’s civil protection department, Montserrat Roman.
The blaze comes after a heatwave that swept through the Canary Islands left many dry areas there, increasing the risk of wildfires. According to scientists, extreme weather events have intensified due to global warming. Heat waves are likely to be more frequent and intense, and their impact more widespread.
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