Tenerife Wildfire: Evacuations Ordered Amidst Resurgent Blaze in Scorching Heat

Around 3,000 individuals have been forced to evacuate their residences on Spain’s Tenerife island due to a rekindled wildfire. This fire, originally ignited on Wednesday, has now affected communities in the island’s northeast, situated away from the primary tourist zones. High temperatures and strong winds have caused the same fire that ravaged the area in August to flare up once again.

To assist in firefighting efforts, Spain’s military has been deployed. Rosa Davila, president of the Tenerife Council, expressed hope that the deployment of multiple helicopters on Thursday would aid in stabilizing the fire. As a precautionary measure, most people have been evacuated from the towns of Santa Ursula and La Orotava, according to local authorities.

The Canary Islands, including Tenerife, have been on high alert for wildfires due to unusually high temperatures. Although the August blaze was brought under control, it was never completely extinguished. That wildfire persisted for several days and caused extensive damage to thousands of hectares of forest surrounding Mount Teide, Spain’s highest peak.

The increased frequency and intensity of heatwaves are attributed to human-induced climate change, which has caused global temperatures to rise by approximately 1.1 degrees Celsius since the start of the industrial era. Without significant reductions in emissions, temperatures will continue to climb.

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