The fire is spreading southwards towards new areas.

The violent forest fire on Gran Canaria continues to spread. Over 9,000 people have been evacuated and at least 10,000 hectares of land have been destroyed by the flames.

– It is an environmental tragedy, says President Ángel Víctor Torres.

The fire, which broke out on Saturday, is being fuelled by high temperatures, strong winds and low humidity.

Several villages in the mountains southwest of the island's capital, Las Palmas, have been evacuated. A total of over 1,000 firefighters are battling the flames with the support of 14 water-bombing helicopters and planes, reports The AFP news agency.

Along the fire's north-western front, there are reports of 50-metre-high flames making both ground firefighting and water bombing too dangerous.

”We can't go in”

The fire has entered Inagua National Park and the Tamadaba pine forest area.

– Tamadaba has been lost, we cannot enter, said rescue chief Carlos Velazquez to journalists, writes AFP.

– Only when the weather conditions change can we start to gain control of the fire.

In the northern fire area, the situation has stabilised and some of the people who were forced to flee may be able to return home on Tuesday, reports the news website Canarias 7.

But the strong winds have changed and the fire is spreading south, where it threatens the municipalities of La Aldea, Mogán and San Bartolomé de Tirajana.

– It's an enormous forest fire, extremely serious, in the middle of a heatwave, says Ángel Víctor Torres, president of the Canary Islands, according to AFP.

No one injured

Although the fire makes it impossible for tourists to visit the scenic mountains and valleys in the central parts of Gran Canaria, tourist life continues much as usual along the coasts.

No persons have been reported injured.

Source: aftonbladet.se