SPAIN: Spanish authorities said on Saturday that over 2,500 individuals have been evacuated from La Palma in the Canary Islands due to a devastating fire that has already consumed 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of land.
Approximately 300 firefighters are diligently working on the ground, with additional support from firefighting aircraft, they added.
“The fire advanced very quickly, stated Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands regional government.
He cited “the wind, the climate conditions, as well as the heatwave that we are living through” as the causes of the fire’s rapid development.
Hector Gomez, the tourism minister, told reporters, “It’s a fire that has gathered strength in very little time.”
The head of the La Palma Council and the primary authority on the island, Sergio Rodriguez, has appealed to the public to honour the evacuation orders, enabling emergency services to carry out their work more effectively.
Local authorities issued a statement claiming that the fire started in the Puntagorda district earlier in the day and quickly spread.
Tijarafe’s mayor, Marcos Lorenzo, disclosed to TVE television that a complete evacuation of the town had not taken place.
The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) reported that Spain endured nearly 500 wildfires in 2022, resulting in the devastation of over 300,000 hectares, marking the highest number of wildfires and most extensive damage across Europe.
Up until now this year, the latest EFFIS data has revealed that an additional 66,000 hectares of land have succumbed to fires.
The situation is even more concerning in a nation that has suffered greatly from the effects of climate change, with a string of brutal heatwaves and decreasing rainfall.
The national meteorological agency also recorded record-breaking temperatures during an unusually hot spell on mainland Spain.
The Canary Islands of Spain are situated off the northwest coast of Africa.
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