The fires are currently in the mountainous area surrounding the volcano Mount Teide.
Firefighters are continuing to battle raging wildfires in Tenerife, one of Spain’s Canary Islands and a major tourist destination.
Fires started on Wednesday in a craggy and mountainous area in the north-east of the island. 1,000s of residents have been evacuated or told to stay indoors.
The terrain is making it difficult to contain the fires which authorities say are still ‘out of control’ and continuining to spread.
The blazes currently have a perimeter of 41km and 7,600 people have so far been evacuated or told to stay indoors.
‘The most complex fire in the last 40 years’
“This is the most complex fire we’ve had in the Canary Islands in the last 40 years,” the region’s leader, Fernando Clavijo, said yesterday.
Pedro Martinez, head of emergency services in Tenerife, said the fire has spread to the north and towards a valley where several campsites are located.
About 250 firefighters backed by 17 planes and helicopters, including three sent from mainland Spain, are trying to contain the fire. But efforts are being hampered as the fire is in a mountainous national park.
Tenerife: Where are the wildfires?
The fires currently have a perimeter of 41 km.
The fires started in the mountainous area of Arafo and Candelaria. This is in the centre of the island and it surrounds the famous volcano Teide, Spain’s highest peak and popular tourist attraction.
7,600 people have so far been evacuated or told to stay indoors.
The areas that have so far been evacuated:
- Candelaria
- El Rosario (1,294 residents evacuated from their homes)
- La Victoria
- Santa Úrsula
- La Orotava (1,525 residents evacuated from their homes)
- Las Rosas
- La Resbala
- Camino de la Granja
- Los Eres
- Lomo Juan Lian
- Vera del Barranco
- El Pinalete
- Galván, Las Vigas y lo de Los Ramos
- Pino Alto
- Baboseras Altas
- Camino el Pozo
- Lomo la Piedra
- La Vica
- El Pirul
Residents in La Esperanza have been told to stay inside to protect themselves from the risks of smoke inhalation.
All roads leading into the evacuated areas and the roads leading to Mount Teide are currently shut to the public.
¡Buenos días, aviadores! 👋🏻
Lucha sin tregua contra el fuego 🔥
5 aviones del #43Grupo trabajaron ayer en #IFArafoCandelaria (Tenerife), #IFArbo (Pontevedra) e #IFRubiá (Orense), con un total de 32:20 horas de vuelo ✈️ y 88 descargas 💦
📽️ Tenerife@mitecogob @Defensagob pic.twitter.com/PMCh0A3vYT
— Ejército del Aire y del Espacio (@EjercitoAire) August 18, 2023
Tenerife: Are the wildfires likely to spread to tourist areas?
Highly flammable pine trees in the area could cause the fires to escalate towards tourist hotspots on the Canary Island, including Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Puerto de la Cruz, authorities said.
“The fire is powerful and is in a complicated area,” Canary Islands regional president Fernando Clavijo told a news conference in Tenerife.
“Efforts are focused on preventing the fire from spreading and affecting mainly residential areas close to the coast.”
At the moment, the fires are 19 km away from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife’s main town.