A forest fire destroyed in one day an area on the Canary Island of La Palma, which belongs to Spain, which corresponds to about 6,500 football fields. The fire that has been spreading near the city of Puntagorda, in the northwest of the island, since Saturday morning has already reached almost 4,700 hectares, state broadcaster RTVE reported on Sunday, citing the authorities.
4,255 people were rescued from their homes in Puntagorda and the nearby town of Tijarafe. According to official information, the fire is being fought by around 300 emergency services, which are supported, among other things, by a total of eleven firefighting aircraft and helicopters. At least eleven houses were completely burned down, he said.
But there was also good news on Sunday: weather conditions have now greatly improved, a spokesman for the island’s government said. There is significantly higher humidity and also lower temperatures. This will help firefighters fight the flames.
The westernmost of the Canary Islands grabbed headlines for months in 2021 after the Tajogaite volcano spewed massive amounts of lava that flowed towards the sea in incandescent currents. At least 7,000 people had to flee the lava at that time – country houses, banana plantations and vineyards were buried under the meter-thick lava.
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