Out-of-control wildfire scorches Spain's Tenerife island, affecting thousands

An out-of-control wildfire on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife has burned thousands of acres and affected some 7,600 people who are either evacuated or confined, Regional President Fernando Clavijo said Thursday.

He said some 250 firefighters and members of the Spanish army are tackling the blaze, located in the north of the island. Clavijo said the fire had a nearly 30-kilometer-long (19-mile) perimeter.

“This is probably the most complicated blaze we have had on the Canary Islands, if not ever, at least in the last 40 years,” Clavijo told reporters. Extreme temperatures in the island, he said, added to “specific meteorological conditions” caused by the fire that turned the area into a virtual oven.

The seven-island archipelago is located off the northwest coast of Africa and southwest of mainland Spain.

Spanish authorities said their main goal is to contain the fire and prevent it from reaching more populated areas. The island’s main town, Santa Cruz, is 20 kilometers (12 miles) away from the flames.

The wildfire is threatening six municipalities. Some 7,600 residents in the area have either been evacuated or ordered to stay indoors Thursday due to hazardous air quality.

Clavijo said firefighters were working day and night but the fire remained “out of control.”