Spain wildfires: Tens of thousands evacuated as Tenerife blaze remains out of control

More than 26,000 people have had to flee their homes as a wildfire rages out of control on the Spanish island of Tenerife, Canary Islands Emergency Services said Saturday.

Some 11 towns on the island are now affected by the wildfire burning in the north of the island, officials said.

One local resident, Sebastian Grillo, said he had never seen fires of such a scale on the island.

“I had not seen this before in my life; it was the first time,” he said. “But I must say that if it does not burn, the mountain is not cleared up, and it must be cleaned up in some way. It has to find its natural way."

Scorching heat and dry weather this summer have contributed to unusually severe wildfires in Europe, including on Spain’s La Palma island in July.

Scientists say climate change has led to more frequent and more powerful extreme weather events.
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