 Devastating wildfires spreading across the popular Spanish holiday island of Tenerife have forced at least five villages full of people to flee. A ferocious inferno has already torn through 300 hectares of land at a national park on the north-east coast within hours of breaking out on Tuesday night. The flames have quickly spread from a forested area in steep ravines near the Mount Teide volcano, triggering mass evacuations of nearby villages. Around 150 firefighters, 50 military personnel and 10 helicopters are battling the blaze, but officials have warned it could take more than a day to bring it under control. Highly flammable pine trees in the area could cause the fires to escalate towards tourist hotspots on the canary island, including Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Puerto de la Cruz, authorities said. 'The fire is powerful and is in a complicated area,' Canary Islands regional president Fernando Clavijo told a news conference in Tenerife. 'Efforts are focused on preventing the fire from spreading and affecting mainly residential areas close to the coast.' Wildfires are burning on the north-east of the island of Tenerife in the Candelaria province (Picture: Metro.co.uk) Residents watched on as the blaze broke out on Tuesday night (Picture: EPA) People in the Candelaria province and surrounding areas are in the closest proximity to the fires. The villages of Arrate, Chivisaya, Media Montaña, Ajafoña and Las Lagunetas have already been evacuated, and local authorities said further measures would be taken today. Access to the forest surrounding Spain's highest peak of Mount Teide, as well as the volcano itself has also been cut off. Pictures from the area show huge plumes of thick black smoke billowing into the sky from the forest area and spreading across nearby communities. Huge plumes of smoke have been rising into the air in Candelaria (Picture: EPA) Firefighting helicopters){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Devastating wildfires spreading across the popular Spanish holiday island of Tenerife have forced at least five villages full of people to flee.
A ferocious inferno has already torn through 300 hectares of land at a national park on the north-east coast within hours of breaking out on Tuesday night.
The flames have quickly spread from a forested area in steep ravines near the Mount Teide volcano, triggering mass evacuations of nearby villages.
Around 150 firefighters, 50 military personnel and 10 helicopters are battling the blaze, but officials have warned it could take more than a day to bring it under control.