Canary Islands in flames as hundreds evacuated from popular resort

Shocking footage has shown flames ripping through woods close to the holiday hotspot of La Palma, in the Canary Islands, which is hugely popular with British tourists, with authorities evacuating 500 people as a precaution.

The clip showed emergency vehicles racing to the scene, with the dark skies lit up by orange flames and thick smoke billowing into the night.

In addition to forcing the removal of the residents, the blaze has destroyed at least 11 homes within the relatively small burned zone of 140 hectares (345 acres), regional president Fernando Clavijo, said today.

He warned that the number of evacuees could easily increase to double the current number.

He explained: “With the resources that we are deploying, we hope we can control the fire today, but the winds are shifting.

“More gusting winds are expected and, combined with the dryness of the terrain and the lack of rain, this situation is complicated.”

Spain’s army has deployed 150 of its firefighters to help local crews battle the blaze. More local firefighters are arriving on boats from the neighbouring island of Tenerife, according to Mr Clavijo.

The fire is on the western side of the island on wooded, hilly terrain dotted with homes.

It is not an area which was directly impacted by the 2021 volcano eruption.

Puntagorda mayor, Vicente Rodriguez, told broadcaster RTVE that the fire started inside the limits of his municipality.

The area has seen below-average rainfall in recent years, just like large parts of the drought-stricken mainland, due to changing weather patterns impacted by climate change, he added.

The fire coincides with a heatwave which is hitting southern Europe.

Spain saw record high temperatures in 2022 and this spring as it endures a prolonged drought, and some parts of the country have seen the mercury tip 45C (113F). Elsewhere on the continent temperatures have topped 48C (118.4F).

Authorities and forestry experts are concerned the conditions are ripe for a difficult wildfire campaign after seeing fierce fires as early as March.

La Palma, which a population of 85,000, is one of eight members of Spain’s Canary Islands archipelago off Africa’s western coast.

At their nearest point, the islands are 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Morocco.

The Canary Islands are an enormously popular destination for British tourists, with more than 450,000 visiting in April of this year alone.

Scorching temperatures across Europe forced the closure of the Acropolis in Athens for a second day as officials today warned of even hotter weather next week, when the mercury is forecast to top 40C (104F) in several popular Mediterranean tourist destinations.

In cities, those venturing out at all drenched themselves in fountains while others sought out pools, the sea or shade in hopes of relief from the heat wave caused by Cerberus.

The high-pressure anticyclone coming from the south was named after the three-headed dog in ancient Greek mythology who guarded the gates to the underworld.

Fifteen cities in Italy, most of them in the country’s center and south, were under heat advisories signaling a high level of risk for older adults, the infirm, infants and other vulnerable people.

Temperatures remained in the mid-30s C (mid-90s F) across much of the Italian peninsula Saturday but were expected to reach between 38 C (100.4 F) and 40 C (104 C) in Sardinia, Sicily and Puglia.

The cities under alerts included the high-tourism destinations of Bologna, Florence and Rome.

The capital hit a high of 35 C (95 F) Saturday and was expected to see temperatures as high as 42 C (107.6 F) on Tuesday when other Italian cities could be even hotter.