Around 3,000 evacuated as forest fire rages on Spanish island of Tenerife

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – A forest fire that took a dangerous turn has forced more than 3,000 people to be evacuated from their homes on the Spanish island of Tenerife, authorities said on Thursday.

Blanca Perez, Tenerife’s head of emergencies, said that late Wednesday night, the fire grew quickly and forced the evacuations. She said that while conditions have improved Thursday morning, the area is still not safe.

The blaze reportedly began as a reactivation of the massive wildfire that broke out in the same area in August. Scorching around 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres), it was the worst forest fire seen in the Canary Islands in 40 years and Spain’s biggest fire so far this year.

The fire reactivated at the same time as Tenerife and Spain's Canary Islands registered record-breaking heat.

In a first for Spain in October, authorities had to issue an orange alert for high temperatures across the Canary Islands this week. As of Thursday, there is still a yellow alert for heat across Tenerife and the other islands.

Spain’s meteorological agency has confirmed that Tenerife broke its record for the hottest October temperature on Tuesday, with the mercury reaching 39.4 degrees Celsius (102.9 degrees Fahrenheit).

With summer-like temperatures across the Canary Islands and most of peninsular Spain, large swathes of the country are at “extreme risk” for forest fires.

On Wednesday, the local government in Tenerife requested help from Spain’s military to help control the blaze.

As of Thursday, 60 officers and 26 vehicles have joined the fight to put out the fire.