Firefighters battle through the night to halt wildfire in Tenerife

Emergency crews and firefighters have worked through the night in an attempt to stem the fire (Arturo Rodriguez/AP)

Firefighters battled overnight to try to bring under control the worst wildfire in decades on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife, officials said on Friday.

The fire in the north of the island, which started late on Tuesday, has forced the evacuation or confinement of nearly 8,000 people in eight municipalities.