Forest fire in Spain: At least 4,000 people evacuated

The flames that broke out on the island of La Palma on July 14 and are still under control have so far burned more than 5,000 hectares of forest area.

The Municipality of La Palma and civil relief teams reported that 13 homes were left unusable due to the fires that reached some settlements, especially in Tijarafe and Puntagorda, and announced that 4,255 people were evacuated from their homes and spent the night in sports centers, nearby or in hotels

It has been reported that more than 400 people, of which 100 are military, participated in the extinction work on the ground, 13 planes supported it from the air, and the fire, which was feared to spread to the region’s national park, has not yet been controlled.

On the other hand, the electoral rallies planned by the political parties in La Palma before the early general elections that were to be held on July 23 in Spain were canceled due to the fire.

It has been specified that in the first half of the year there have been 15 large forest fires in Spain, almost four times more than in the same period of the last 10 years. (AA)