Emergencies

Canary Islands wildfire prompts 9,000 evacuations

Wildfire in Gran Canaria. | CEDIDO/CABILDO DE GRAN CANARIA -

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma20/08/2019 12:28

An out-of-control wildfire on Gran Canaria in Spain’s Canary Islands kept spreading yesterday, increasing to 9,000 the number of people evacuated from eight municipalities and reaching a natural park, authorities said yesterday.

The blaze began on Saturday near the town of Tejeda propelled by a combination of high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity.

Sixteen planes and helicopters as well as more than 1,000 firefighters were working to contain flames as high as 50 metres (164 feet), authorities said.

The blaze marks the second time that Tejeda has been evacuated this month due to wildfire.