Today's Edition
MADRID (AGENCIES)
Authorities on the Spanish island of Tenerife evacuated approximately 3,000 people from their homes overnight as a wildfire, sparked by high temperatures and strong winds, raged in a forested area already struck by fire in August. Emergency services had requested assistance from the army's Military Emergency Unit, calling the blaze a high-level emergency, according to a statement posted yesterday on X social media platform.
August's wildfire burned for days, destroying around 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of woodland within the national park surrounding the Mount Teide volcano, Spain's highest peak. The Canary Islands regional leader, Fernando Clavijo, said during a business event in Madrid yesterday that the August fire had been brought under control but never completely extinguished, with embers still burning in the forest. He said that firefighting efforts overnight had "gone well".
"There is less fuel (for the fire), so it shouldn't get out of hand," Clavijo said, referring to the already scorched terrain. The island, located in the Atlantic off Africa's northwestern coast, is on alert for high temperatures that are expected to reach 39 degrees Celsius (102.2 degrees Fahrenheit) throughout Thursday.
