Thousands evacuated as firefighters battle ‘out of control’ Tenerife wildfire

Monday, 18 Aug, 2023 0

About 7,000 residents in Northern Tenerife have fled their homes as an ‘unprecedented’ wildfire remains ‘out of control.’

The fire hasn’t impacted any of Tenerife’s main tourist resorts yet but has forced the closure of the Mt Teide National Park.

About 400 firefighters have been tackling the blaze for the past two days with more than a dozen firefighting aircraft deployed.

“The fire is powerful and is in a complicated area,” Canary Islands regional president Fernando Clavijo said.

The villages of Arrate, Chivisaya, Media Montaña, Ajafoña and Las Lagunetas were evacuated.

Several secondary fires have broken out, an emergency services spokesperson said.

“Efforts are focused on preventing the fire from spreading to mainly residential areas close to the coast.”

This also includes Tenerife North Airport which is currently operating as normal.

The capital Santa Cruz is about 10 miles from the blaze.

“We’re monitoring the fires constantly and currently they aren’t near any British Airways Holidays resorts, British Airways said.

A wildfire on nearby La Palma in July scorched about 11,000 acres and forced more than 2,000 people to leave their homes.

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TravelMole Editorial Team

Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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