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The
fire started in the early hours of Saturday morning in El Pinar
de Puntagorda, a wooded area at the north of the island in the
Canaries, as many European cities brace for extreme heat in the
coming week.
At least 11 houses were destroyed as the fire advanced, Fernando
Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands said on Saturday.
"The number of people who need to be evacuated could reach
1,000. It depends on whether we can bring these strong winds
under control," Clavijo told reporters in La Palma.
About 140 hectares (346 acres) of land had been destroyed by the
fire, he added.
Four helicopters and four firefighting units on the ground were
battling to bring the fire under control in the island, which
forms part of a Spanish archipelago off the coast of western
Africa.
Authorities in the island were seeking help from other islands
in the archipelago, such as Gomera and Tenerife.
In September 2021, more than 2,000 buildings were destroyed and
many thousands of people were forced to leave their homes when
lava began pouring out of the Cumbre Vieja volcano.
The eruption continued for three months and ash from the lava
coated the surrounding area with a sooty blanket of thick black
dust.
(Reporting by Graham Keeley; editing by Clelia Oziel)
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