Spanish holiday island ablaze as most serious forest fire in 40 years breaks out
One of the most beautiful parts of the holiday island of Tenerife is being devastated by the most serious forest fire in 40 years.
The ferocious blaze broke out on Tuesday night and is continuing to spread, leading hundreds of homes to be evacuated. Locals are rushing away from the approaching flames and to escape choking clouds of smoke and ash.
Some of the island's best beaches have been scorched and the waters turned black. The south of the island, a popular destination for millions of Brits, has not been affected, although clouds of smoke are visible from virtually all parts.
This morning President of the Canaries, Fernando Clavijo, said that the fire is "the most serious in the Canary Islands in 40 years". The flames are spreading from at least four different points, causing pine cones spread across the forest floor to explode violently.
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Smoke rises above the village of Arafo (AFP via Getty Images)Families in the north who were told to leave their homes have spent the night either with relatives or in shelters or sports centres. Nearly 8,000 people have either confined to their homes or evacuated.
The fire began around 11.50pm on Tuesday in the Arafo mountains and has spread to the municipalities of Candelaria, El Rosario, La Victoria, Santa Úrsula and La Orotava.
Residents are being assured there is no risk to human life or the urban centres and that all efforts are being made to control the fire, which is described as "very virulent".
Fire chief Pedro Martínez said: "The difficult orography of the terrain is making extinction work difficult." The affected area is now 2,607 hectares with a perimeter of 31 kilometres, some of them in very steep areas inaccessible to both air and land resources.
The fire broke out on Tuesday (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)During the night almost 200 troops worked furiously to contain the fire and prevent it from advancing towards populated areas, reports English language news site Canarian Weekly.
The government are advising people in the worst-hit areas in north Tenerife to use FFP2 masks. They have warned that the smoke is made up of a mixture of gases and small particles that are emitted by the combustion of vegetation and other materials.
The population of Güímar, Arafo, Candelaria, and El Rosario are recommended to use FFP2 masks outside to avoid respiratory problems, and to try and protect their eyes as far as possible. It is also advisable to close doors and windows and, if you have air conditioning, put it in recirculation mode with clean filters.
Fire fighters and troops are battling the blaze (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)Some of the major towns in the north of Tenerife are reporting falling ash, including in the capital of Santa Cruz. The fire is being monitored by drones as more than 150 troops fight the flames and seaplanes - including one from Malaga - drop water on the burning mountainside.
The fire has already destroyed one of the most iconic viewpoints to watch the sunset in Tenerife. The spot in Chipeque, Santa Úrsula, is one of the favourite places for visitors and tourists to see Mount Teide.
The fires on Tenerife are the latest to break out in Europe, with the South West of France enduring days of intense blazes this week. Rhodes in Greece dealt with fires that raced across the south of the island at the end of July.
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