Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Aug 18 (EFE).- A massive wildfire on Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands that has been raging for days was starting to be brought under control on Friday, the regional president said.
The blaze, which began on Tuesday, has burned nearly 3,800 hectares of land and forced thousands to be evacuated, according to local officials.
“Last night was the first in which the fire behaved normally” compared to other blazes on the archipelago, Fernando Clavijo told a press conference.
Some 7,500 people have either been evacuated or told to remain indoors, while the Teide National Park has been cut off and tourists have been told to leave the area.
Despite the changing wind that hindered firefighting efforts overnight, the flames have become less dangerous and dynamic as in recent days, Clavijo said.
Officials were considering lifting the curfew order in effect for El Rosario, where residents were told to stay at home on Thursday.
The fire has a perimeter of 41.9 kilometers and covers an area of nine municipalities on the island, which is one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations. EFE
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