Around 450 firefighters are still fighting the forest fire that has been raging on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife since Tuesday.
So far, 3,800 hectares of forest have burned down and around 3,000 people have been evacuated, the regional government says.
Another 4,000 people have been ordered to stay indoors due to the fire.
During the night to Friday, however, the fire has advanced more slowly and “more predictably”, which has made it easier for the firefighters to deal with the flames, according to the authorities.
– This night at least the fire and the weather behaved normally, says Fernando Clavijo, regional president of the Canary Islands, at a press conference.
“Most complex” fire in 40 years
According to Clavijo, it is the “most complex” forest fire in the Canary Islands in at least 40 years, due to the terrain of the affected area, the high temperatures and winds that suddenly change direction.
Despite the fact that the fire has advanced more slowly, the rescue service is therefore facing major challenges as the fire mainly rages in a rocky and mountainous area. According to Spanish authorities, they are trying to prevent the fire from reaching more populated areas, reports the news agency AP.
The island’s largest city, Santa Cruz, is about 20 kilometers from the flames.
New heat wave in southern Europe
A new heat wave has moved in over southern Europe. Next week it is expected to be over 40 degrees in the southern parts of France and several warnings have been issued.
Even in Italy, high temperatures of around 40 degrees are once again experienced. In Florence, Bologna, Bolzano, Perugia and Brescia, warnings have been issued at the highest level.