Firefighters battled overnight to try to bring under control the worst wildfire in decades on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife, a major tourist destination, officials said Friday.
The fire in the north of the island, which started late Tuesday, has forced the evacuation or confinement of nearly 8,000 people in eight municipalities.
Army captain Rafael San Jose told Spanish National Television that some progress had been made overnight in stopping the fire's spread but that rising temperatures during the day would increase difficulties. The north of the island was forecast to have a maximum temperature of 30 degrees Celsius Friday with light winds, but temperatures were set to rise further over the weekend.Nearly 300 firefighters and Spanish army soldiers are in the area, which is in the northeast of the island, some 20 kilometers away from its main town, Santa Cruz.
Clavijo claimed the fire was the worst in 40 years. He said the combination of extreme temperatures and the fire had turned the area into a virtual oven.
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