A wildfire that broke out in a national park on the Spanish island of Tenerife has spread to 300 hectares, prompting authorities to order the evacuation of five villages and to cut off access to the forest surrounding the Mount Teide volcano.
The fire, which started on Tuesday night, was raging through a forested area in steep ravines in the northeastern part of Tenerife in the Canaries, making the firefighters' task more difficult.
"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," he added.
About 10 helicopters dropping water and 150 firefighters and 50 military personnel were working to contain the wildfire that could take more than a day to bring under control, authorities said.
Early today, the fire had devastated about 130 hectares (320 acres) near the Mount Teide volcano, Spain's highest peak. In a few hours, the fire has spread to over 300 hectares and there are many secondary fires, Pedro Martinez, head of Tenerife's emergency services, said.
The villages of Arrate, Chivisaya, Media Montaña, Ajafoña and Las Lagunetas have been evacuated, and local authorities said further measures would be taken during the day.
Rosa Davila, president of the Tenerife council, said all access to the mountains on the island has been closed and called on residents and visitors to keep out of the forest areas because of the risk the fire will spread further.
"We are doing this to prevent any incidents," Davila said.
During the last week, a heatwave in the Canary Islands has left many areas bone dry and increased the risk of wildfires.
This summer, firefighters have extinguished a series of forest fires on the islands of Gran Canaria and La Palma, which form part of the Canary Islands archipelago.
Tenerife's two airports were operating normally, according to Radio Canarias, which cited the Spanish airport operator Aena.
Mallorca remains on red alert for forest fires with temperatures forecast to reach 39ºC today.