Firefighting teams worked diligently today to contain the wildfires that erupted in a mountainous park on the Spanish island of Tenerife, prompting authorities to evacuate around 3,800 people. The regional governor, Fernando Clavijo, stated, "It was an extremely difficult night... this is the most complex fire the Canary Islands have seen in the last forty years." Pedro Martinez, the head of emergency services in Tenerife, mentioned that "the fire spread northward toward a valley with several camping sites."
The fire expanded to cover approximately 31 kilometers in a dry forest area, affecting the slopes of valleys near Mount Teide, the highest peak in Spain, making access to the area challenging, and clouds of smoke and ash filled much of the island. Authorities deployed 17 planes, 350 firefighters, and military units. An additional number of water-dropping planes arrived from the mainland.
