Wildfire in La Palma
Even tropical islands are feeling the effects of climate change, as the BBC reports: Fires rage across Canary island
A huge forest fire is out of control on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands, forcing the evacuation of up to 4,000 people, including tourists.
Military aircraft are fighting the flames but firefighters have been pulled back from the worst-hit areas.
Officials said they were “cautiously optimistic” that cooler weather conditions could enable firefighters to control the fire by nightfall.
The government has promised to help those affected by the fires.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said on a visit to La Palma that an “appropriate decree regarding aid” would be approved at the next cabinet meeting on 13 August.
Some residents were saved just minutes before fire engulfed their homes.
Several dozen homes in the town of Fuencaliente were gutted.
There are fears the flames could spread to an observatory housing the world’s largest telescope.
The Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory has been operating for more than 20 years, and a new telescope was inaugurated last month.
The Canary Islands are in the Atlantic off the northwest coast of Africa at about the same latitude as Miami and belong to Spain. They have become a tourist destination, and were once a major departure point for sailing ships heading West across the Atlantic to the Americas because of the prevailing winds. Ships would sail southwest and pick up the prevailing easterlies around Cape Verde for the transit.
2 comments
You know…If I had to pick my disasters…think I prefer earthquakes to wildfires.
.-= last blog ..August 2 – 8 National Farmer’s Market Week =-.
There is usually something left after an earthquake, which is generally not true of a wildfire.