Cool weather aids Tenerife firefighters in battling wildfire

author: FutureCar Staff    

Heatwave conditions have caused temperatures to reach dangerous levels in northern Africa and Europe. In Spain's Canary Islands, a wildfire has been raging out of control for the past five days on the tourist island of Tenerife. However, improved weather conditions overnight have helped firefighters make significant advances in their battle against the fire.

Tenerife governor, Rosa Dávila, expressed gratitude for the firefighters' hard work, stating that the results have been very positive. The Canary Islands emergency services also reported that the firefighters were able to work in better weather conditions than expected.

Since the fire started on Tuesday, more than 12,000 people have been evacuated from their homes. By Saturday, over 8,000 hectares of pine forest had already been burned, but Dávila anticipated that the figure would be much higher on Sunday. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported, and thanks to the efforts of the firefighters, no houses have been burned so far.

The fire, described as the worst in Tenerife in decades, is threatening 11 town areas located near the steep and craggy mountain area affected. Firefighters are facing extreme difficulties in accessing the area.

The emergency services have warned that air quality in 19 town areas is poor, urging people to stay indoors when possible and wear masks outdoors. It is important to note that the blaze is not near the island's main tourist areas.

Over 400 firefighters and soldiers, along with 23 water-carrying helicopters and planes, have been deployed to combat the wildfire on Tenerife. The Canary Islands, like mainland Spain, have been experiencing drought for most of the past few years due to changing weather patterns influenced by climate change.

In addition to the wildfire on Tenerife, the nearby La Palma island experienced a wildfire last month, leading to the evacuation of over 2,000 people and affecting around 4,500 hectares.

Spain currently tops the list of EU countries affected by wildfires this year, with 75,000 hectares burned, surpassing Italy and Greece. In fact, Spain accounted for almost 40% of the nearly 800,000 hectares burned in the European Union in 2022, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

As Spain's mainland braces for another heatwave starting Sunday, the state weather service has issued a warning that temperatures will rise, reaching 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some parts of the mainland.

The Canary Islands are a group of seven islands located off the northwest coast of Africa and southwest of mainland Spain. At their nearest point, they are 100 kilometers away from Morocco.

FutureCar Staff