Simon Hunter
FIRE CREWS were battling on Sunday morning to extinguish a blaze that broke out the day before on the Canary Island of La Palma. Around 100 firefighters worked through Saturday night to try to bring the fire under control, after it had already spread across around 4,675 hectares of land.
A total of 11 air units had been deployed to tackle the incident, which was affecting the Puntagorda area of the island. As many as 400 firefighters were on the scene on Saturday.
The Canary Islands regional government informed Spanish media outlets that some 4,255 residents of the Puntagorda and Tijarafa municipalities were evacuated from their homes on Saturday, but that no more evacuations had been necessary today.
The regional premier of the islands, Fernando Clavijo, called on members of the public to help with the evacuation process and to keep a close eye on notifications via official channels.
He added that the progress of the fire had slowed on Saturday, but that it continued to rage out of control.
A fall in the temperatures on La Palma was expected to assist the efforts to bring the fire under control.
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