Improved weather conditions helped firefighters make advances overnight in their battle to tame a wildfire raging out of control for the past five days on the tourist island of Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands, authorities said Sunday. "The night was very difficult but thanks to the work of the firefighters, the results have been very positive" Tenerife governor, Rosa Dávila said at a news conference early Sunday. The Canary Islands emergency services said in a tweet on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that firefighters had been able to work in "better weather conditions than expected." Dávila said that more than 12,000 people have been evacuated from their homes since the fire started Tuesday. Up to Saturday more than 8,000 hectares of pine forest had been burned, but Dávila said that figure was likely to be much higher Sunday. The fire, described as the worst in Tenerife in decades, is threatening 11 town areas flanking the steep and craggy mountain area affected. Access for firefighters is extremely difficult. More than 400 firefighters and soldiers have been deployed, as well as 23 water-carrying helicopters and planes. Spain's mainland is bracing for another heat wave starting Sunday. Spain's state weather service issued a warning Saturday that temperatures would be on the rise in the coming days, hitting 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in parts of the mainland. According to the European Forest Fire Information System, Spain heads the list of EU countries affected by wildfires so far this year, with 75,000 hectares burned, ahead of Italy and Greece. Spain accounted for almost 40% of the nearly 800,00 hectares burned in the European Union in 2022, the EU agency said. The fire was at a scale that has never been seen before in the Canary Islands, officials say. Thousands of residents from Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands have been evacuated as a wildfire authorities deemed "out of control" rages on for a fourth day. The Atlantic island is home to about one million people and is also a popular tourist destination. Fierce flames lit up the night sky overnight and on Saturday helicopters were seen dropping water on areas close to homes where smoke billowed into the air. The island's popular tourist areas have so far been unaffected and its two airports have been operating normally. The blaze broke out on Wednesday in a mountainous national park around the Mount Teide volcano – Spain's highest peak – amid hot and dry weather. Scorching heat and dry weather this year have contributed to unusually severe wildfires in Europe, including in Spain's La Palma Island in July, and Canada. Scientists have said climate change has led to more frequent and more powerful extreme weather events. European Union officials also blamed global warming for increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires in Europe, noting 2022 was the second-worst year for wildfire damage on record after 2017. — Agencies
