Topline
A raging wildfire on the Spanish island of Tenerife has forced more than 26,000 residents to evacuate as of Saturday, a sharp increase from Friday amid what officials have called the forested Canary Islands fire’s most complicated fire in 40 years.
In this picture taken from the village of Sobradillo, late on August 16, 2023 a wildfire rages in a … [+]
Key Facts
The fire, which started on Tuesday in forestland on the slopes of the Mount Teide volcano, on the north side of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, forced more than 4,500 residents in eight municipalities to evacuate as of Friday.
Evacuations skyrocketed on Saturday to more than 26,000 residents, spanish outlet El Pais reported, as the fire grew to affect 11 cities and towns, burning 10,000 acres on the island due to a combination of strong winds and blistering temperatures, local officials said in a press conference Saturday morning.
There have been no fatalities reported as a result of the fire.The fire comes amid a heat wave that’s brought dry weather to the Canary Islands, following a relentless heat wave that swept through southern Europe last month, leaving the islands particularly dry, and as the islands see less rainfall than in typical years.
It also comes just one month after fires in Spain’s La Palma, also in the Canary Islands, forced another 4,000 residents to evacuate as blazes swept through roughly 10,000 acres.
What We Don’t Know
When the fire will be put out. Canary Islands regional President Fernando Clavijo told reporters on Friday the fire “behaved and the weather has behaved normally,” according to a translation by the New York Times.
Tangent
Wildfires this week in Canada also forced the entire city of Yellowknife, in Northwest Territories, to evacuate, while thousands of residents in British Columbia were issued evacuation orders on Saturday. Officials in British Columbia declared a state of emergency throughout the province on Saturday, as the McDougall Creek fire ravaged toward the town of Kelowna. Wildfires also destroyed the historic town of Lahaina, on Hawaii’s island of Maui earlier this month, leading to at least 114 fatalities.
Further Reading
Canada Wildfire Latest: British Columbia Declares State Of Emergency, Yellowknife Fire Approaches City (Forbes)
Maui Fire Death Toll Reaches 114 As Island Nears Containment Of Multiple Blazes (Forbes)