2023-07-15 20:58:55
Firefighters are still struggling. More than 2000 ha burned Saturday in a few hours on the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, causing the evacuation of 2500 inhabitants. “The fire started this morning from the municipality of Puntagorda,” the Canary Islands government said in a statement.
The fire “reached the town of Tijarafe, where the inhabitants were evacuated”, added the government in reference to this locality of 2,500 inhabitants. “No injuries were recorded,” he said.
Some 300 firefighters are battling the fires with the support of ten aerial vehicles, awaiting the arrival in La Palma of two seaplanes. The displaced are welcomed in Tazacorte, on the west coast of the island, the Red Cross said.
Already 66,000 ha burned in Spain
This fire comes on the island of La Palma after the eruption of a volcano, from September to December 2021, also in the west of the island, but further north.
In 2022, nearly 500 fires devoured more than 300,000 ha in Spain, a record in Europe, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (Effis). And some 66,000 ha have already burned since the start of 2023, which promises to be just as risky for this country hit hard by climate change.
The spring was the hottest on record and the second driest, according to the Spanish meteorological agency.
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