A second round of out-of-control wildfires has forced around 8,000 people to evacuate from Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands.The newest round of fires started on Saturday and is advancing in multiple directions across the island’s mountainous interior, according to BBC News.High temperatures coupled with low humidity and very strong winds fed the blaze on Sunday and Monday and allowed it to spread quickly.
As of Monday, around 3,400 hectares (8,400 acres) have been burnt, and at least 40 towns on the island have been evacuated, according to The Guardian. Gran Canaria is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, with an area of 1,560 km2 (602 sq. mi) and a population of 846,717 as of 2018.Last week, fires on the island burned an additional 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres).
More than 700 firefighters continued to battle the blaze on Monday and were assisted by 16 firefighting aircraft consisting of 11 helicopters and five airplanes.The majority of the resources are being used on the right flank of the fires to protect a large number of homes, according to Federico Grilllo, the head of local emergency services. Grillo added that a number of homes had been damaged or destroyed by the fires.
Authorities also stated that around 40 people remained trapped in a cultural centre in Artenara which was cut off by the ongoing fires.Strong winds will continue to be the biggest hindrance to wildfire containment in the coming days. Daily wind gusts of 50-65 km/h (30-40 mph) are expected most days with localized gusts up to 80 km/h (50 mph) on Wednesday.Seasonably warm and dry weather will persist across Gran Canaria this week, causing even more hurdles for firefighting efforts.
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