ARTENARA (Spain), Aug 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Residents forced from their homes when a devastating wildfire erupted on the Spanish holiday island of Gran Canaria began returning Tuesday, although firefighters were still battling to contain the blaze, officials said.
Flames as high as 50 metres had complicated the battle against the blaze burning since Saturday on the western slopes of the volcanic island located off northwest Africa, prompting the evacuation of several villages with a combined population of around 10,000.
But as winds fell on Tuesday, the fire was beginning to “stabilise” and residents were returning home, Canary Islands President Torres said in a tweet.
“The degree of severity we initially expected is much lower, which is very good news,” Federico Grillo, the island’s chief of emergency services, told reporters.
The decline in wind speeds prevented the blaze, Spain’s worst wildfire this year, from entering the Inagua national reserve, which is home to the blue chaffinch, a rare native bird species.
The flames did enter Tamadaba, a national park north of Inagua, which is considered the “green lungs” of the island that lies at the heart of the Canary archipelago, but local officials said there was less damage than initially feared.
Many of the pine trees in the park “remain intact”, Torres told news radio Cadena Ser.
“There was a miracle last night,” he added.
Some 700 firefighters and other crew backed by 16 water-dropping helicopters and planes were working on controlling the blaze, which is estimated to have destroyed 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres), according to emergency services.
No fatalities have been reported and tourism on Gran Canaria, which is concentrated on its coast, has not been affected. — NNN-AGENCIES
