26,000 people evacuated from Tenerife, Spain as the wildfires continued to rage out of control

Over 26,000 individuals have been evacuated from their residences on the Spanish island of Tenerife as of Saturday (August 19), with the wildfire continuing to rage uncontrollably, according to emergency services. Local authorities have described the scale of the fire as unprecedented in the history of the Spanish holiday island.

As of Saturday afternoon, the Canary Islands emergency services reported that over 26,000 people may have been evacuated, as per provisional estimates shared on X (formerly Twitter). This marks a significant increase in evacuations, as officials had stated on Friday that around 4,500 people had been evacuated since the fire’s outbreak on Tuesday night.

Reports indicate that as many as 11 towns have been impacted by the wildfire. Montse Roman, the technical director of the emergency services, mentioned that they were still in the process of compiling accurate figures, indicating that there was no immediate update on the number of evacuees.

Officials from the emergency services also cautioned that further evacuations might be necessary if the fire continues to spread. Worsening weather conditions overnight led to additional evacuations being ordered on Saturday morning, as stated by regional leader Fernando Clavijo during a press conference.

Some individuals evacuated from La Victoria, situated in the north-west of the island, are receiving medical assistance. Resident Paulina Fernandez shared her experience, stating, “The night before we arrived, we had a pretty bad time. Everything was burning… the roofs were full (of ash).” She recounted this to Reuters.

Media reports indicated that intense flames were observed during the night on Friday, while helicopters were spotted dropping water on areas close to homes the following day. Smoke continued to billow into the air.

Clavijo highlighted that rising temperatures and stronger winds overnight on Friday exacerbated the situation. He also mentioned that thick smoke was hindering aerial firefighting efforts.

Rosa Davila, the Tenerife Council President, informed reporters that the scale of the fire was unprecedented in the Canary Islands. The primary objective was to “protect people’s lives,” she emphasized, noting that none of the houses had been destroyed due to the blaze, according to information from the fire brigade.

Thus far, approximately 5,000 hectares of land have been consumed by the wildfire, with a perimeter stretching across 50 kilometers. Pedro Martinez, one of the officials responsible for firefighting efforts, stated that the fire’s perimeter had “undoubtedly expanded significantly” overnight and was “gradually descending” down the mountainside in the northern Santa Ursula area, as reported by AFP.