Villages evacuated as wildfire engulfs 800 hectares of island of Tenerife

Local residents said that the fire has been contained in the mountains and has not spread down the valleys.

EIRIF agents arrive at the island to support the fight against the wildfires at the municipality of Candelaria in Tenerife. Picture:  Andres Gutierrez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Five villages on the Island of Tenerife have been evacuated as wildfires cast a surreal light over the city of Santa Cruz, the island’s capital.

The fire, which started on Tuesday night in the area of ​​Monte de Arafo in the north east, had spread over 800 hectares by Wednesday afternoon. Five villages were evacuated, and access was cut off to the forest surrounding the Mount Teide volcano.