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Guardia Civil

Gran Canaria: 5,000 evacuated as 'extremely fierce' wildfire sweeps holiday island

More than 600 firefighters and 14 aircraft have battled to contain the flames.

A WILDFIRE ON the Spanish holiday island of Gran Canaria has forced the evacuation of some 5,000 people as authorities warn it could take days to bring the blaze under control. 

The fire, which has spread to the mountainous Cruz de Tejeda region popular with tourists for its breathtaking views, is “extremely fierce” and “unstable”, said Canary Islands president Angel Victor Torres in a statement.

No fatalities have been reported.

More than 600 firefighters and 14 aircraft battled to contain the flames, hampered by strong winds and high temperatures.

With the temperature set to rise today, authorities estimate it could take days before the blaze is brought under control.

“The next few hours will be very important because the weather forecast for the night is not good,” Torres said.

The fire broke out days after another wildfire in the same region forced the evacuation of hundreds.

Gran Canaria is the second most populous of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic off the northwest coast of Africa.

The Canary Islands received 13.7 million foreign visitors last year, over half of them from Britain and Germany.

Spain is frequently plagued by huge forest fires because of its arid summer climate.

- © AFP 2019.

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    Mute conor woods
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    Aug 19th 2019, 9:43 AM

    Spain frequently has forest fires because of its arid climate.
    I thought the canaries were of the coast of Africa .

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    Mute liam whelan
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    Aug 19th 2019, 10:32 AM

    @conor woods: It is and technically so is Spain and Portugal.

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    Mute Brian Hunt
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    Aug 19th 2019, 10:33 AM

    @conor woods: it is indeed but it is controlled by the Spanish Government

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    Mute Tim Adams
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    Aug 19th 2019, 10:34 AM

    @conor woods: they are indeed off the west coast of africa

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    Mute Squiddley Diddley
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    Aug 19th 2019, 10:49 AM

    @conor woods: …as it says in the article.

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    Mute RJ.Fallon
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    Aug 19th 2019, 10:59 AM

    @conor woods: yes, but it is part of Spain, so even on postage ,” Spain” must be part of the address

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    Mute John
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    Aug 19th 2019, 8:57 PM

    Im ovet here now on holiday, the fire is huge the ash is falling from the sky miles away from the fire, its awful for the people that live here, the firefighters are working so hard I hope they can get it out, wishing all the residents of the island the best.

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