A wildfire is out of control in La Palma, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, according to officials, forcing the evacuation of more than 2,000 people there as of Saturday.
The massive wildfire has burned more than a dozen homes and destroyed 4,500 hectares of land, reports AP. Officials say that the situation could get worse in Loo. “The fire has spread very quickly. The fire is out of control,” said Fernando Clavijo, regional president of the Canary Islands.
Clavijo also advised people to heed the call for evacuation, as many did not want to leave their homes. At least 10 aircraft are tackling the spreading fire and water drop planes are expected to arrive.
According to Vicente Rodríguez, mayor of Puntagorda, a village in La Palmamayor, the area under his municipality has seen below-average rainfall in recent years, like much of the drought-prone mainland, as a result of changing weather patterns. Has been.
Two years earlier, the volcano erupted in La Palma for three months, causing significant damage but no casualties. About 3,000 buildings were buried, along with many banana plantations, roads and irrigation systems.