Lomo del Pino (Spain) (AFP)
About 5,000 people have been evacuated from a tourist area on the Spanish island of Gran Canaria due to a forest fire that has ravaged some 3,400 hectares since Saturday, authorities said Sunday.
The fire is "extremely virulent" and is currently "neither circumscribed, nor stabilized nor under control," warned Sunday evening in a statement the president of the Canary Islands, Angel Victor Torres.
The disaster has not killed so far, but has forced the authorities to evacuate some 5,000 people including tourist areas like Cruz de Tejeda, a mountainous site famous for its spectacular views, in the center of Gran Canaria.
More than 600 firefighters and fourteen aircraft were engaged Sunday in the fight against this fire that has resulted in the closure of 20 roads of this island in the Canary Islands.
The weather conditions are difficult, with strong winds and high temperatures.
"The next few hours will be very important because the weather forecasts for the night are not good," added Torres.
The heat wave must indeed continue Monday, and the authorities warn that it may take several days before the fire can be controlled.
The flames began to affect the Tamadaha Nature Park, an important reserve of Canary Island-specific trees.
The fire comes days after firefighters managed to contain a fire in the same area of the Canary Islands, which resulted in the evacuation of several hundred people.
© 2019 AFP