emergencies
500 people evacuated because of forest fires on La Palma
A man watches the forest fire from the roof of a house. photo
© Europa Press/EUROPA PRESS/dpa
The Canary Island hardly ever rests. After a volcanic eruption in 2021, a forest is now burning in the north of La Palma. Why the fire isn’t under control yet.
Because of a forest fire on the Canary Island, which belongs to Spain At least 500 people were brought to safety from their homes in La Palma on Saturday. The fire broke out early in the morning near the town of Puntagorda in the northwest of the island. Because of the great drought and strong winds, the flames spread quickly, the mayor of the town, Vicente Rodríguez, reported on state TV broadcaster RTVE.
Since the wind direction is constantly changing, the fire has not yet been brought under control. At least eleven houses were burned down and an area of about 140 hectares was destroyed. The north of the island in particular is also popular with emigrants from Germany. The island government announced that houses further south in the municipality of Tijarafe would also have to be cleared.
The westernmost of the Canary Islands made headlines for months in 2021 after the Tajogaite volcano spat out massive amounts of lava that flowed towards the sea in red-hot streams. At least 7000 people had to flee from the lava back then, country houses, banana plantations and vineyards were buried under meters thick lava.