MADRID, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- The wildfire that began in the north-west of the Spanish holiday island of Tenerife late on Tuesday night continues to burn out of control and has doubled in size in just over 24 hours, devastating almost 3,300 hectares of forest in at least eight municipalities.
Around 7,000 residents have either been evacuated or told to stay at home as the perimeter of the fire has extended to 41 km from 22 km late on Wednesday night.
Up to 3,069 people in the small town of El Sauzal have to leave their homes late on Thursday, while in nearby La Esperanza, 3,820 were told to stay indoors, partly due to the risk from smoke inhalation.
Addressing the press, the President of the Spanish-controlled Canary Islands Fernando Clavijo said that some firebreaks were starting to have a positive effect, but the hilly and rocky terrain, with many steep valleys and outcrops, has made access to some burning zones almost impossible and made it difficult to curtail the fire.
A total of 205 members of Spain's Military Emergency Unit worked with 40 fire-engines and bulldozers over Thursday night to combat the flames. Seventeen aircraft, helicopters and local firefighters joined the combat on Friday morning.
According to the latest data from the European Forest Fire Information System, wildfires have burned 81,058 hectares in Spain in 2023. Most of Spain remains on "extreme" alert for further wildfires due to continued hot and dry weather.
